Skeleton Anne
by Corona Pax
Summary: Jack was the only Skeleton in Halloween and no one ever questioned this. It was simply how things were...until one night when a new Skeleton arrived in the graveyard. Town law says that a monster of similar kind is to take responsibility and mentor the new monster so why does Jack resist? Monster's leave many stories behind when they arrive in Town. Maybe a few were unfinished.
1. Chapter 1: 1995

**If you're one of those who reads the first few lines and goes "NOPE" then skip to the bottom and at least leave a review saying what turned you away so soon. That sounds like maybe 20 seconds of your time.**

 **I don't own the Nightmare Before Christmas. It belongs to Disney as a movie, Tim Burton as an story, and Henry Selick as a movie he directed. This is rated T for mentions of death, some gore, romance, and other scary stuff but this story is not mostly scary stuff.**

Chapter One

1995

* * *

An explosion rattled the ground. A single streak of light climbed through the sky, whistling before exploding in a shower of orange light and red sparks.

Monster's gasped in awe even as volunteer citizens loaded more fireworks, courtesy of their American Independence Day allies.

It was the end of yet another good year for the citizens of Halloween. Few said anything to betray their thoughts, but many were relieved at how uneventful this year's celebrations were. Their scares were better than ever with even more humans terrified out of their wits and the Pumpkin King seemed content to stay at home with the rest of his people as they partied the night away.

In fact, it would not be a stretch to say that none were more relieved than Jack Skellington himself. He had no desire to run off in search of new ideas this year. After the events of last year with Oogie Boogie's resurrection, attempted take-over of all the Holidays, and subsequent defeat, Jack felt that the universe would use every opportunity to bite back at him every time he left Halloween to explore.

Sally disagreed however. While she was extremely worried about Jack setting out on another quest, she didn't hesitate to remind him that it was Lock, Shock, Barrel, and Oogie Boogie himself that were responsible for the mess of last year and that Jack and the rest of the town hadn't meant ill will toward Christmas and the children of the Real World. It was simply an unfortunate misunderstanding on all involved sides and all that mattered was that Jack did his best and fixed his mistakes.

"My dearest Sally, what would I do without you?" Jack laughed lightly as he took his dearest friend's hands in his own and bent down a little to kiss her on the lips.

"Oh I don't know Jack," Sally said softly as they continued to walk around the town square. She reached up to lightly brush a bit of soggy burnt straw off of Jack's bow-tie while avoiding a look directly into his sockets. "From what I heard, you did just fine without me for many centuries."

Five monster children ran right between them, throwing shrunken heads in a sick game of dodgeball as they merrily shrieked in laughter and dance around on a Halloween candy sugar-high. It was the winged-demon Jersey's first Halloween with the adults in the Real World and she had done an excellent job as a Trick-or-Treater for her first year, bringing home enough candy to make even Lock, Shock, and Barrel jealous. Though it really doesn't take much to make them jealous. Jersey was very generous about sharing her loot with her friends whose parents had declared them too young to join the adults. Ethan, the Corpse Child, also had a large sack of candy and readily contributed to the stash. He had been journeying to the Real World for many years. The hyper children looked like they wouldn't be calming down for a while, much to the half-hearted chagrin of many parents, nocturnal or otherwise.

Jack and Sally didn't bat an eye between either of them. It was Halloween night/All Saint Day morning after all. So what if monsters went wild? It was _their_ night and the fun didn't end at one in the morning when they left the human realm.

"Was it really that long?" Jack joked as he sneakily bent down a little lower so that Sally could get a few more strands of the straw. He could have sworn he burnt it all up but apparently he jumped into the fountain a little too soon this year. He didn't usually do the same theatrical entrance four years in a row, but it was one of his favorites now. Actually, the burning "Guy Fawkes" scarecrow show was rather traditional. He did it almost every year using his Pumpkin Fire, with a few variations. It was the dramatic rising out of the fountain part that was still relatively new.

"The years don't seem to weigh on me as much when I'm around you. Every time I see your smile it makes the years before I knew you seem like a distant dream," Jack said with his signature grin.

Jack didn't notice, but the Mayor was approaching when he said that to Sally. Immediately, the Mayor froze uncomfortably and realized that he should probably wait until after they had a "moment." It was best not to provoke the Pumpkin King's ire.

The Mayor wasn't a simpleton. He was well aware that he could be annoyingly high strung when he insisted on devoting both his and Jack's time to next Halloween immediately after last, regardless of Jack's insistence to take it easy the first couple days in November. But the Mayor knew how easily distracted Jack could get and it was best for both of their sanity to get started as soon as possible. But now wasn't the time.

The Mayor resisted the urge to twist his head around to his negative face and walked past the couple as if he was always planning to head over to the Hanging Tree. He didn't have an impromptu conversation ready but he squashed his impatience.

He hid a wince as he rubbed the back of his neck, or front depending on which side you were looking at.

Sally blushed and gave Jack the very same smile he loved so much. Too late he realized how personal that sounded and immediately wished he had saved it for a letter to Sally.

"That's very sweet Jack," Sally said.

Jack smiled wider and lowered their hands. He held on to one of hers as they continued to observe the antics of the night. He gently swung his arms, feeling childlike and giddy in the excitement of yet another year well done. Yes, he still had that ridiculous itch of slight boredom. He still craved something new, but at the moment Sally was all he needed. "You're very welcome," Jack said.

There was a mischievous cackle that would grate on anyone's ears. "Oh hurry up and tie the knot will you?!" a voice suddenly said making both of them start slightly, though no one would ever notice Jack jump. He was too skilled for that.

"Good evening, ladies," Jack turned and bowed slightly to the town's Head Witches, Helgamine and Zeldabourne. The sisters/best friends weren't the only witches in town but they were the most prominent, knowledgeable and powerful in town and had long received the honor to lead a part in the town song.

 _Say it once. Say it twice. Take a chance and roll the dice._

 _Ride with the moon in the dead of night…_

Sally waved happily and repeated Jack's greeting.

Jack continued, "I trust your night was horrible."

"Oh it was delightfully frightening, Jack!" Helgamine cackled.

"Indeed. But don't skirt my question," warned the shorter of the two, Zeldabourne.

"I wasn't aware you had asked a question Miss Zeldabourne," Sally said shyly.

"Then let me rephrase it. _When_ are you two finally going to get married? And it's just Zelda to you dearie," the witch leaned on her broomstick, making the bristles splay out in all direction on the cobblestone while a few twigs broke off and disappeared into the crowd.

Helgamine nodded firmly while Jack and Sally nervously looked toward each other in embarrassment. The far taller witch leaned on her own broomstick, a little more careful about the bristles than her sister and glared jokingly at the couple. She too felt happy about yet another good year. "Oh yes. If we weren't dead already, we'd be dying of anticipation. How dare you torture the whole town so? So spill! Have you _finally_ set a date? We are curious to know. Curiosity killed the cat you know." _Was that too pushy? I hope Jack didn't see me as trying too hard to make conversation, s_ he thought.

"How wonderfully tragic," Zeldabourne added with a sigh.

"Quite. Dying cats are so tragic yet hilarious."

"Hmm."

"Ah… well we uh," Jack raise a hand to the back of his skull, not entirely sure what to say.

But Sally did.

"We've just decided to take it slow. We have all of eternity after all. There's no need to rush."

"True," Zeldabourne said, though a little bit of something else slipped through her sincere façade, not that anyone, least of all herself, would notice. It was common knowledge that most, if not all, of the females in town had fancied Jack Skellington at one time or another. A few still did, even though he and Sally had been courting for almost two years now. No one would admit it, but a few were still wishing for a chance with the Pumpkin King. Zeldabourne was one such woman but she harbored no ill will toward Sally. How could she? Sally was a joy and most everyone loved her.

As a friend of course.

She was just so understanding and nice to everyone, even to those who were the nastiest of all of them.

Yes, Sally Finklestein was nice (what an odd word _'nice'_ ), maybe a little too nice for a Halloween citizen but very few people could bring themselves to deny that she and Jack were a good match.

Ironically, their personalities seemed to be opposite of each other but they made it work. While Jack was theatrical and an optimistic extrovert, Sally was gentler and more grounded in reality.

Sally was a little too shy and not very good at jump scaring humans, as opposed to Jack. She could get away with a few shrieks but her record was honestly a bit sad. She was great with telling scary stories to the children though. This year she made puppets and carried them around with her. She used them to tell dreadfully scary stories to people who didn't realize she was a real monster and ended up created a delightful number of nightmares when she would "accidentally" lose a body part at the end of her story. Because of her, many people, adults even, wouldn't be getting a wink of sleep.

"Well don't make us wait too long," Helgamine complained and tapped a long, sharp, curled fingernail to the top of her broom leaving a thin scratch on the surface, not that she cared. There were plenty of scratches on both their brooms. Helga was likely one of the few single ladies in town who had completely gotten over her crush on Jack. Almost. Currently, she seemed hell bent on directed that energy toward pestering the skeleton and ragdoll into hurrying it up!

She abruptly spun on her heel and walked off having made her point, leaving Zeldabourne to talk to Sally about a new design for voodoo dolls.

"I'm going to speak to the others," Jack said gesturing to the crowd, most of whom wanted to talk to Jack and would likely swarm him as soon as he left Sally.

"Of course," Sally said then turned back to the witch, "What was that about new needles you made?"

"There really quite wonderful dearie. They're bone yet they are just as sharp as any metal ones you might—."

Jack shook his head. It was best for him not to even pretend to understand the intricacies of sewing when his lady-friend was a rag doll who turned her physical necessities into a passion. It just ended with him being endlessly and viciously corrected. Sally was beautiful, wonderful, the love of his afterlife, and incredibly clever with her craft yet he wasn't sure he could survive another lecture if he once again accidentally dismissed the difference between a chain stitch and a back stitch while Sally mended his suit. Thus, he made a beeline to the town hall steps where the Mayor had parked his hearse, pausing every so often to congratulate someone's scare or shake a hand or tentacle. Or snake fingers.

"You were such a scream this year Jack!" Glenn the Werewolf said.

"Thank you. I wasn't there but I heard you manage to make a whole heard of cattle stampede through a town in Wyoming. Excellent job!" Jack had to sometimes remind himself to compliment the others but it was often hard to remember when they were drowning him with praises and questions.

"It was nothing."

A rotting hand patted Jack on the shoulder. "Jack so glad I caught you. Did you really haunt a mental hospital this year?" the Corpse Dad Ned asked.

Jack chuckled. "Only a few doctors my friend. I truly believed they deserved it."

"How was that guy from Kentucky? Still calling you Mr. Unlucky then?"

"Fortunately," Jack quipped as he thought about _that_ particular annual incident.

"You were awe-inspiring Jack!"

"I felt shudders just catching a glimpse of you at your work."

"You made skin crawl…"

"And flesh ooze…"

"As always, of course."

"Isn't he amazing," Jersey whispered to her mummy friend as the adults spoke with Jack and traded compliments with each other about their scares.

"Like always," he agreed, "Jack's really cool. But you were pretty awesome too, I heard."

"It was so much fun V!" Jersey toothy smile suddenly fell, "But I really wasn't that great. I messed up a lot. I'll never get into the song."

"Well when _I_ go to the Real World and terrify millions, I'll be sure to save you a spot."

"Aw! Shut up," Jersey laughed and shoved "V."

Meanwhile Jack had finally gotten to the Mayor's hearse where the two-faced creature was busy going over the nominations for the awards. He looked up when Jack approached.

"Running off to another holiday Jack?"

Jack chuckled, "Not this year my friend."

The Mayor sighed in relief and put his scroll of paper in his car. "Oh thank goodness. Please don't take this the wrong way Your Majesty, but I'm wasn't sure if I could handle any more stress this year."

Jack frowned at the "Your Majesty." He hated being called that and the only time any one called him by _that_ title was when they thought he would be mad at them. Apparently, the Mayor was afraid of offending Jack by speaking his mind.

"Mayor, I've known you for well over a couple centuries. You of all monsters should know there's no need to call me that."

"Of course. Sorry Jack," the Mayor said immediately and maybe a little too quickly.

Jack resisted the urge to sigh and he instinctively look up to the sky line of the town. He blinked slowly and slightly slouched as he thought of something.

The Mayor noticed and waited until a few monsters had moved a little ways away. He lowered his voice and asked, "No luck this year?"

"Afraid not," Jack shook his head.

"I'm sure it will be fine," the Mayor said, just as he had every year when Jack gave that same answer.

And so it went. All through the night and into the early hours of the morning, monsters danced and sang. The Mayor handed out awards. Classics like "Most Blood Drained in Single Evening," "Most Non-fatal Heart Attacks Induced," and "Most Nightmares Made." Sally was thrilled to receive that last one. There was even a few new awards this year. There always was.

"Most Candy Collected in a Single Hour" was a favorite that they pulled out every once and a while. Usually when it was a first Halloween for one of the kids. As such, Jersey was practically bouncing off the wall when she flew up to the Mayor's hearse to get the trophy.

Jack laughed at the little girl's enthusiasm. He always made it a habit to keep an eye socket on someone when it is their first trip to the Human world and he was impressed. With a few decades or so of practice, Jersey might end up being added to the song. It was one of the highest honors in Halloween to be written into the lyrics of "This is Halloween." It was also very difficult. One had be so scary that they might become a symbol of fear itself. Something that every human could identify as a fear, even if they weren't personally afraid themselves.

A brief explanation is in order.

Almost every child cries about "The monster under the bed" sometime during their childhood. And if they don't, they at least know of such a thing…or creature.

Almost every child may think about a monster hiding under the stairs or floorboards. Why else would they fear creaking steps and loose floorboards when they travel to their basement?

The Who and the Wind have been a part of ghost stories and creepy atmosphere since goodness knows how long.

The Clown was a rather new addition to the song. Jack thought he deserved the spot, but couldn't help but feel unsure about the nomination. But it was a unanimous decision to add him as a fear in clowns had been gaining steam in the human world for years.

That was how it worked. It had to be a unanimous vote to add or take away someone from the song.

Nobody had protested the removal of Oogie Boogie the Boogieman from "This is Halloween." Not even Lock, Shock, and Barrel argued. But to be fair, even if they did, the rest of the town would have ignored them regardless of the "unanimous" procedure. After everything they did, many felt they shouldn't have a say in town matters.

Eventually, the pumpkin sun began to peek over the slate grey hill and its somber light signaled the final end of festivities for most of the things that go bump in the night. Many town citizens had long retired to their homes with the intent of sleeping until late afternoon.

The music had wound down an hour ago as the band drifted off to sleep against the stone wall by the gate and the Mayor decided to turn of the speakers atop the town hall that were connected to a record player stolen from the human world years ago.

The large torches set up around a town square continued to burn alongside the various Jack O' Lanterns scattered about town. The little candles inside the pumpkin would burn out on their own after all and no one was particularly concerned about buildings burning down. The large torches would probably burn late into the next night and everyone was fine with that. It was a little bit of cleanup procrastination that had become somewhat of a tradition.

Except for the squeaking of a few bats that were late to return to their colonies and the suspicious snoring coming from a few garbage cans in the alleys, the orange sun greeted a relatively calm and silent town with few awake to welcome the daylight.

However, this All Saints Day morning was witnessed by one very confused new soul. They weren't interested in the soft beauty of the crisp morning. Instead they sat alone in the graveyard staring at the name etched into the granite of tombstone as the pale light cast faint shadows in the lettering.

* * *

Sally had went home early. She didn't feel like staying up till dawn so at three o'clock she bid the party goodbye and climbed the steep steps of Skellington Manor. Once inside, she took a slice of the pumpkin pie that she and Jack had decided to keep for themselves and made the short trip upstairs to the guest room Jack had let her stay in. "Guest Room" probably wasn't an appropriate name anymore. It was most definitely _her_ room now, complete with of her nick-knacks and various personal possessions neatly scattered across the room. Even her sewing machine sat in its own corner of the spacious room across from the doorway and with a good view out the window.

Surprisingly, Dr. Finklestein hadn't protested much when she got up the courage to face him and say she was never coming back to live in the tower. He threw a hissy fit, of course, but Sally felt it was mostly for show. It was against his nature to give in easily but Sally thought that secretly he was grudgingly relieved not to have to worry about her poisoning him every time she wanted out. With some prodding from his new creation Jewel, the doctor apologized in a very round about, implied way for being so harsh with her, but he fiercely posited that it was for her own good as she was still very young and he worried that she was unstable. Sally forgave him quickly as Jack spoke for the first time in the exchange. He had come as support for Sally, as he was the one offering her new lodging, but he wanted Sally to be the one to ask the doctor for her things.

Sally agreed. She most certainly didn't want Jack fighting all her battles, even if Jack was wholeheartedly willing to do so. However, he promised to speak if he needed to and he immediately told the doctor that he would personally keep an eye on Sally and make sure she was safe.

That seemed to placate Dr. Finklestein. It was no secret that he and the Pumpkin King had been friends for a very long time and there was a certain level of mutual respect and trust between them. After all, there was a very small number of people that the doctor trusted to even touch most of his scientific tools and Jack Skellington was on that list.

Sally yawned as she finished her pie and put the plate on a small empty table next to the door so that she would remember to take it downstairs later. She eyed the bed for a moment and yawned again, however she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep for at least another hour. She was still too excited about Halloween.

Sally sighed and made her way to the rarely used vanity desk that sat against one of the wall. She looked at the cracked glass that fractured in such a lovely patterned. There was even a bit of rust from the frame staining a part of the edge.

"Well then," she said softly to herself, "Let's see what we got here." She began to empty her pockets of the few baubles she picked up the Real World. Most of it was little things humans had thrown away as trash but they had caught her eye and she picked them up between hauntings.

There was the tiny glass bottle with a smidgen of red sauce inside and the words "Tabasco Sauce" printed on the sticker. Sally had found about two dozen of those and she planned to clean them up and put different colored liquids inside them before hanging them from threads and making a mobile to hang in her window. She thought the sun shining through the bottles in the morning would look absolutely beautiful.

She put the tiny bottles of to the side and fiddled with something else she had found. It was a little ragdoll like her, but this one wasn't alive or undead and was a small child's plaything. It was rather cartoonish and had locks of bright pink yarn as hair and big blue button eyes with a stitched in blank smile. Sally smiled in amusement at the doll and gently fingered its button eyes.

A little girl, no older than six, was trick-or-treating with her far older brother who was more concerned with messing around with his teenage friends than watching his little sister. The big boys were teasing the little girl, tossing her doll back and forth between them while mocking her when Sally, the Mayor, and the Corpse Mom came across them. The three Halloween citizens decided to scare the boys together. All their big talk about watching the scariest horror movies and not even flinching made it that much more fun to scare them silly.

Sally found herself laughing at the memory alone her room as she thought about the five teenagers running away in terror. Unfortunately, they left the little girl behind who was also scared, if inadvertently. The Mayor went off to the next town on his list but the Corpse Mom and Ragdoll stayed behind and promised the crying little girl in a cute fairy/witch costume that they would not scare her anymore and offered to take her home.

The little girl bravely stated something about "stranger danger" but nonetheless asked them to take her to her mommy. It didn't take long to find the house since the girl had memorized her address.

As Sally walked the girl to the porch, the girl commented how Sally looked a little like her own doll and gave it to Sally as a thank you for taking care of the bullies and her big brother. She very seriously made Sally promise to take care of Petunia and to tell her lots of stories about nice monsters like Sally.

It was very cute and not at all frightening but Sally found herself accepting the doll regardless, mostly out of curiosity. She still couldn't see what humans saw in most of their playthings. Many were really quite boring and strange, but not in the good strange.

The pink hair in particular was perplexing to Sally. It was a bright hot pink that seemed very out of place in the whole of Halloween. Sally quickly realized the confused feeling was similar to the one she and most citizens, Jack included, got when Sandy Claws tried to explain Christmas in his own words. She was even confused when Jack first tried to explain it not so long ago.

Sally hid behind the corner of the house when the door opened and left just as the girl broke into a wild story about a zombie and doll lady that scared "Jimmy" and his friends off. Sally and Nellie did, however, overhear the mother get rather angry at the boy.

She wasn't sure what resemblance the girl saw between her and the little doll but set the thoughts aside along with the toy.

Most of the other little nick-knacks Sally had collected were simple things like a postage stamp torn of the corner of a discarded envelope, and spools that had barely any thread left on them. There was one thing that had really caught Sally attention. She had found it broken in an alley in Salem, Massachusetts as she walked with Jack on their way to a graveyard to get home. It was a little wooden music box.

The box may have once been used to hold jewelry but the felt that lined the inside was faded and mostly missing. The box was the kind that played when you lifted the lid and it had two little glass figurines dancing together in time to the music. Well, they would have danced if the box actually worked. It was a miracle that the glass figures weren't shattered. The lid was barely hanging on by the hinges and the a few parts inside revealed themselves to by rusted or missing when Jack had taken out the bottom to look.

He assured her that it could be easily fixed with a few replacements parts and screwdriver.

"We'll get you fixed up. I promise," Sally said mostly to herself as she leaned her elbows on the vanity and rested her head in her hands. She stared at the little figurines thoughtfully.

The workmanship on them was exquisite. They were so detailed that Sally could pick out the smile on the woman's face and the little folds in the dress that fell just past the knees. She could also see the faint smile on the man's face but she had to look very hard to pick it up. It must have taken an awful lot of work the make the box with so much care only for it to end up in an alley.

At least it had a new home now, one the creator of it probably would have never expected.

Sally messed with the tiny button that acted like a pressure switch. Once the box was working again it was this little thing that would make the music play when the lid was lifted. That and the little windup key at the side.

Sally suddenly gasped and took her hand away in surprised. She wasn't sure but for a moment it looked like the figures were turning but when she stopped and looked the little glass humans were as still as ever and no music played. Just to be sure, she checked the little windup key and peeked inside at the contraption. Nothing.

"I suppose it's time I got a little sleep. What do you think?" Sally smiled softly at the glass and was about to get up from her seat when she saw it again.

There! The little man's foot moved. Sally didn't have any time to consider the oddness of this when both figures suddenly began dancing as if they always have and never were tiny glass statues a second ago.

They turned around and around to music only they could hear. The girl let out a faint laugh when her partner spun her around with one hand. They both looked very happy and seemed to be enjoying each other's company.

Sally stared in awe but to her credit she didn't say a thing or even move. She didn't dare blink for fear it would chase the odd little vision away.

Her mind raced. Sally suspected it was a premonition of some kind. Those weren't exceptionally uncommon here, but Sally seemed to have them more than most. Unfortunately they often didn't signal good news. Sally resisted the urge to bite her lip as she thought about the Christmas premonition she had two years ago and secretly pleaded to God that the little figures would simply continue to dance to their little glass hearts' content and wouldn't burst into to flames. Out of context, it might be a bit funny, but in her premonitions things bursting into flames was awful in a terrible way. Sally hated being the bearer of bad news but would do it if she needed to.

To her distress the glass began to melt as soon as she thought that. As she watched the glass seemed to melt like ice but instead of leaving little puddles it revealed two humans underneath complete with skin and hair and clothing. Sally could see that they were two teenagers in Halloween costumes that danced as if they didn't notice the glass melting off themselves. The boy had short slightly mussed black hair and his figurine eyes were too small to tell the color. He was wearing a tiny smart looking tuxedo, a velvet cape, and an odd white mask covering half of his face while the girl wore an off-white wedding dress from a couple hundred years ago but it had something black sewn atop the fabric like a lace while a white ribbon tied her dark black hair back.

Sally noticed something of interest and disregarded her decision to not move. She leaned in close, her nose barely missing the boy who continued to dance on unperturbed. The tiny little gloves the girl was wearing had white prints of hand and arm bones on the top.

"So you're a skeleton," Sally stated, "And I think you're the Phantom of the Opera." She said to the boy. She had read the book and heard that the humans had made several plays and movies about the story but she had never seen any, of course.

Suddenly the little people stopped dancing and the girl stepped back and let go of her partner's hand. She put one hand to her throat as though choking and waved the other around as if trying to clear the air, all the while stepping further and further from the boy. Sally suddenly worried the girl would step back and fall off the edge of the music box.

The girl didn't however. She stopped just as she was about to run out of room behind her. She silently gasped in pain and coughed harshly before falling to her knees.

"Help her!" Sally pleaded in horror to the boy but he simply looked around in panic as if he couldn't see the girl. She was right there!

The girl gasped one last time then collapsed on her side.

Sally looked away as a few tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked into her fabric. She wasn't entertaining any hopeful thoughts. She recognized death when she saw it and the girl was dead. Scary things were all well and good but grief and sadness were not what Halloween was about. They mocked death. They didn't celebrate it. And Sally could feel the grief around the girl's death. She would be mourned and many tears were to be shed.

No one could really _see_ vision in the normal sense, it was more like actually _feeling_ the visions. Sally could feel the final breath leave the girl's body painfully and there was a distinct smell of smoke lingering in Sally's room now. She forced herself to look back at the music box and watched in pain as the boy finally saw the girl and ran to her.

It was too late.

"She's gone. She's gone to the next life," Sally tried to tell him though she knew he couldn't hear her.

The boy held the dead girl in his arms for a moment before she suddenly turned back into glass and shattered into a million tiny pieces.

The ragdoll gasped as a few shards embedded into her hand as she pulled it back in shock.

The boy was shaking now, staring at his empty hands and crying silently.

Sally couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly reached up and slammed the old music box shut, jarring one of the hinges lose. It clattered to the desk surface and there was silence for a minute as Sally caught her breath and sniffled.

When the minute was up Sally glared at the box and cautiously opened the box again, half hoping the vision was just a tired hallucination.

The glass shards were gone and the boy was in his place again in a dancing pose.

But the girl was gone, leaving the boy to stare blankly at his invisible companion, hand raised as if still holding his partner. His tiny smile that Sally could barely see before was now completely missing.

Sally stared for a moment as she tried to decide what to do. Should she go search out Jack and possibly wake him up to tell him about the vision. Or should she wait until tomorrow when she had more time to think about it. It had an awful lot more detail than most of her other premonitions, including the one that preceded the incident with the Mayor's hat last month. Could the detail mean something in itself? Was the premonition about something going to happen or something that happened in the Real World. It was possibly the latter given that she saw living humans but she couldn't be sure.

It was best to wait till tomorrow. Everyone was exhausted and even if she told Jack tonight, they wouldn't be able to something, if anything, until tomorrow anyway.

 _Dong._

What was that?

 _Dong._

It was coming from outside. Sally opened her window. It sounded like a large bell but it wasn't one she had ever heard.

 _Dong._

It was an ancient sound that resounded through Sally's soul. She shuddered. She finally understood what the phrase "walking over my grave" meant. She didn't have a headstone in the graveyard like everyone else, as she didn't die to arrive in Halloween and she wasn't really born either, but Jack had erected a tombstone for her anyway when Finklestein had created her. The "walking over her grave" was a terrible feeling but at the same time Sally felt like she should be in awe. It was like the bell toll was the signal of something incredibly important.

 _Dong._

As the forth bell toll sounded, Sally saw several lights across town flick on, though they were dampened by the rising sun. It wasn't morning already was it?

Sally jumped as a door was slammed downstairs and a second later she saw Jack run out the front door and bound down the porch steps four at a time, nearly running into the gate in his haste. When had he come home?

"Jack!? What is it?" she called but he was already out of hearing. He squeezed through the town gate bars before the befuddled half-asleep Gate Keeper could open it and darted to the graveyard like his coattails were on fire. As he ran, Sally could see him struggling to wrestle his arm into his slightly wrinkled suit. He had his pants on, thank goodness, but Sally caught a brief glimpse of his off-white striped nightshirt. Apparently, he had rushed to get dressed again and decided changing shirts wasn't worth it, as odd and against his gentleman charm as it was.

 _Dong._

By the time Sally got outside and to the street, she realized how thankful she was not to have changed into her night clothes just yet. The townspeople were already beginning to crowd the town square again and as soon as they saw her they began asking were Jack was. She barely heard them as she used her height to find the Mayor. He may know where the tolling was coming from and what it means.

 _Dong._

She finally found him. Unfortunately, he was talking to Dr. Finklestein. Sally steeled herself and politely made her way towards them. Her and her creator's relationship may have been on the mend but it was still awkward to speak with him.

"Mayor! What's go-," she started but was interrupted by an ashen faced politician.

 _Dong._

"Oh Sally! Where have you been!" he whined, "Where's Jack? He needs to be here."

"I was hoping you could tell me what was happening, Mayor," Sally said, "The bells started and then Jack suddenly ran out to the graveyard…"

"He's out there already!?" Mayor said in surprise then switched faces, "Thank goodness! It's all right everyone! Jack's already looking for them!"

 _Dong._

The tone of the citizen's muttering suddenly turned to one of curiosity with a gossiping air to it.

"Could someone please tell me what's going on?" Sally snapped in frustration, louder than she meant to.

 _Dong._

The crowd got a little quieter at her shout and a few monsters looked at her as she blushed.

Finklestein laughed coldly. "My dear. I'm curious as to why Jack hasn't told you yet."

Sally resisted the urge to remind the good doctor that he hadn't told her either.

"That's the Requiem Bell," the doctor started. He pointed up to the top of the Town Hall.

 _Dong._

"It's in a chamber atop the Town Hall. And it only rings by itself…" the doctor paused and leaned forward with slightly happy/creepy smile, "When there's a new arrival."

"A new arrival? A new monster?" Sally immediately thought of her vision.

 _Dong._

"Of course," the doctor said, "It's about time we had someone new."

"Oh." Sally felt hurt at that comment but squashed the need to strangle Finklestein. She was new! He _made_ her just over three years ago! She closed her eyes and tried to remember every detail she could. She thought about the girl that had died. Black lace in the patterns of spider webs were sewn over the original white lace that covered the entire dress she wore and she also had those black skeleton gloves. She had white makeup on her face and white lipstick while black makeup was under her eyes and on her cheeks to make them sunken in. A little white ribbon held her jet black hair back.

"Mayve it's another vampire," one of the vampire brothers suggested.

"Like we need another one of you bat brains," the Werewolf growled.

The vampires hissed at him.

"Don't be silly it's probably a new unique creature. That or a witch," Zeldabourne laughed tiredly. Her hair was in a nightcap and a sleep mask sat atop her head. She was still in her nightdress but the witches weren't exactly ones to care too much about decency so long as no one showed anything inappropriate.

 _Dong._

Sally tried to remember more about the little glass girl as the twelfth bell rung but couldn't recall anything specific, just what had happened, not much about what they looked like.

"Sally are you alright?" Dr. Finklestein asked.

"Fine," Sally said. "It's just that…well…I had a vision."

"Another one! I certainly didn't design that little trait in you."

 _Dong._

 _You didn't design any of my personal traits. Just my physical ones._

"This one was a little different, Doctor," Sally said.

 _Dong._

"It had humans in it."

"Humans?" the doctor laughed, "My dear, it was likely just a normal dream. Halloween has only just ended after all. Perhaps you're simply curious about humans. This is only your second year scaring after all."

 _Dong._

Sally sighed. Perhaps it would be best to tell her vision to someone who actually cared.

 _Dong!_

Several denizens of Halloween jumped and clapped their hands over their ears if they had them. They weren't expecting the last toll to sound so soon. Usually it went on for much longer depending on how old the new monster was when they died.

Sally winced as the toll echoed through the town, louder than the previous ones. It was so loud it shook dust off the roof of Town Hall.

"That's it?" the Monster Under the Bed asked incredulously. He raked a clawed hand through the vague shape of hair on top of his head. It was hard to tell since no matter how hard anyone tried all they could ever see of him was his red eyes and teeth. He claimed he could see himself in a mirror, pitch black fur, tail, and all.

" _How many was it?"_ a voice softly echoed through the square as the wind whistled through the crisp morning air.

" _ **I counted sixteen,"**_ the Who replied to the Wind.

"Sixteen!" the Corpse Father said, "They're barely a child."

"Speak for yourself," the Hanging Tree scoffed, "When I was alive, women were usually already married and had children at that age."

"How would you know? You can't remember," the Corpse Mother snarked as she held her son close. She remembered how disoriented new monsters could be and how they might lash out. She didn't want Ethan anywhere near them for a couple weeks.

"Anyway. They are still young and still dead," Helgamine said,

"As a doornail," agreed the Monster Under the Stairs.

"Says a fellow doornail," the Clown joked.

"Haw haw."

"What kind of monster do you think they are?" Ethan, the Corpse Child, asked his mother and father.

"I don't know, son," Ned replied.

"We'll see when we see them," Nellie added.

"Then let's go see them now. I want to see them now," Ethan said with a pout.

"Oh no," the Mayor laughed nervously as he stood in front of the gate, "Jack wouldn't want us to follow him. We might scare the new citizen." Immediately after he said it, his face switched to the white side as he realized exactly what he said, "Oh dear."

"Scare them? What a brilliant idea!" the tallest vampire brother said.

"What better vay to velcome a newcomer," another brother agreed.

"No. Wait. No!" the Mayor moved out of the way to avoid being trampled as the Gate Keeper raised the gate and a group of citizens made their way to the graveyard.

Almost everyone knew that they might scare the newcomer too much but there really had yet to be a citizen that couldn't handle a scare or two. It was practically in the nature of being a Halloween Spirit. Besides, curiosity killed the cat, and Jack wouldn't blame them for that. Would he?

Not everyone went. The majority opted to stay in town and wait until Jack brought the arrival back with him. In the group who decided to be the welcoming party were Sally, two of the Vampire Brothers, the witches, the Monster Under the Stairs, the Harlequin Demon, the Mummy Kid and his parents- Mummy Effie and Cyclops Clyde-, the Corpse Family, and Jersey who managed to slip away from her father. They all sang as they walk down the path to and through the graveyard in search of Jack and the mysterious new monster.

 _Who could it be?_

 _Who could it be?_

 _WHAT could they be?_

 _Do they have the claws that slash?_

 _Or eyes that glow And teeth that gnash._

 _Do they have a shriek so shrill?_

 _That the humans jump And cower from the chill_

 _Do they have a skin so white?_

 _It causes it causes the bravest to die of fright_

 _Do they have a voice so haunting?_

 _Facing them should feel so daunting._

 _Whatever adorns their ghoulish feature?_

 _Be sure to trick-or-treat them like a fellow creature._

 _This is Halloween! They're sure to be quiet a scream!_

 _Welcome monster to the freaks and frights!_

 _Howl at the moon to the highest heights!_

 _Make the children fear when they're in your sights_

 _And join us in our romping on the greatest…_

 _NIGHT! OF! NIGHTS!_

 _Every Body young and old_

 _Every monster bones or mold_

 _Everyone scream!_

 _Halloween! Halloween! Halloween. Halloween._

* * *

Meanwhile, in the graveyard, the new monster shuddered and curled up tighter against the gravestone. Nothing was familiar. Yet…there was one thing….the name carved into the hard stone they lay against.

"Pardon me," a voice suddenly said making the newcomer gasp and look up in shock.

The tall skeleton put out its hands to calm them down and quickly bent down to their level. "It's alright. I mean you no harm."

The newcomer stared at him, their mouth in a thin line and their emotions swirling around in utter turmoil. Confusion, anger, sadness, fear. The fear in particular was hard for them to handle as it was so unfamiliar to them. They whimpered, immediately hating themselves for the weakness.

"It's alright. Let's go slow," the skeleton said calmly, as if this was _normal._ However, there was _interest_ and _confusion_ in his expression and he seemed to be struggling with thinking something, "My name is Jack. Do you know yours?"

But they didn't answer yet.

They stared at him in shock, "It's you..."


	2. Chapter 2: Fearless

**I do not own the Nightmare Before Christmas, however, Anna Grisholme is my own character.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Fearless...

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

It was a nightmare. She knew that much.

She also knew that something rather cliché would probably happen. Some guy in a hockey mask. Maybe. Or maybe she'd place a confident foot forward only to find inky nothingness suddenly _not_ supporting her weight. Then she might fall. Or shoot upward as if caught in a rollercoaster of uncontrolled wind, flying around like a wet autumn leaf.

It was hard to tell what could happen next in a nightmare but Anna wasn't one to be scared of them. Logically she knew they weren't real. She knew that nothing in her fairly damaged mind could really hurt her. It was actually a bit of a break from the exhaustion of _real_ life even if her dreams were sometimes annoying and rarely as interesting as she wished they were. But to a different person they honestly would be terrifying. At the front of her mind Anna knew that, even if she couldn't quite understand it.

Someone slithered out of the corner of her eye, long and serpentine… Anna took a step toward it, her heart not even speeding up the tempo.

 _Ba-Thump…Ba-Thump…Ba-Thump…_

Her heartbeat was slow. Steady. It matched the echoes of the liquid that splashed onto the dull gray floor until she couldn't differentiate between the two.

Drip.

Drip.

It wasn't water. Some splashed on her hand when she reach out toward the shadow that the slithery thing had disappear into and the liquid slid down her wrist, warm and sticky.

She could feel it oozing into the faint creases of her skin and turning crusty as it stuck there. She could feel the excess slip off and fall the rest of the way to land on her foot.

Somehow the liquid chilled during it short fall and it hit her naked foot freezing cold like salted ice water and sent a shiver up her spine. Somehow, there was more of it than she felt leaving her hand. There was now a puddle rapidly growing around her feet.

With a grimace, Anna stepped out of the puddle, shook her foot, took off the towel on her head that she had fallen asleep wearing, and wiped her hand off. Not because it scared her. It was really just gross and physically uncomfortable. Would anyone stand barefoot in a puddle of ice cold liquid, sticky or not?

She looked up at the ceiling where the drips were coming from.

She smiled. The corners of her mouth curled upward slightly but no teeth showed. Her eyes shone with a spark of interest that never seemed to leave even when life seemed most uneventful. Friends often told her one of the reasons she was fun to be around was because _everything_ seemed to interest her. She was continuously looking for something novel and interesting in the most boring of subjects. She would listen to a friend drone on for hours just to hear the three seconds of a punchline they could deliver.

"You should really get that looked at," she quipped in amusement at the sad creature that hung from the top of the wall like a macabre version of one of those decorative plates her `mother liked so much.

The creature looked vaguely like a human sized _very_ used voodoo doll that was pinned to a wall out of boredom by the very needles that allowed it to do its gruesome job.

"Do you need help? Do you want down?" Anna asked, genuinely compassionate. There was no terror or caution in her voice, nor in her eyes. She reached toward a half-inch wide rod that was one of the "needles" and carefully placed a hand on its perfectly unmarred, unrusted, unsmudged surface.

Immediately the creature groaned in pained and snarled at her. It hissed like a cockroach and half-heartedly lunged at her. That is, if it had a heart. Given the sizable bloody hole in its shirt, it likely didn't.

Anna didn't flinch although somewhere in the deepest, possibly darkest, parts of her mind she realized that it would probably be safer to step back, just a little. Just out of reach on the off chance it should free its arms and hands. Why must basic survival decisions be so hard for her? She knew why but didn't let that thought form into coherent words within her head.

"Sir, if you're going to attack me, I won't help," Anna said, "Do you want down or not?"

The fleshy doll stopped growling and glared at Anna distrustfully with one good eye, though that one was barely staying in place as it was. Slowly it curled its upper lip and shook its head carefully, as if too much movement would jostle its head just enough to send it toppling of its neck and crashing into the hard floor…

"Ok," with that Anna turned heel and started walking toward where she saw the slithery thing disappear.

"Waaaaait."

Anna paused, surprised to hear the creature speak.

"Yes?" she turned back around and looked toward the doll creature.

"Do you…not…fear….me…" the mess of a creature rasped softly.

Anna blink slowly and thought about her answer. She quickly sucked a breath of stale yet not foul air (the creature didn't exactly smell the best) and stepped up to it. She looked it straight in the eye. She tried to be afraid, she really did. But she could only see its pain underneath the gore and rot. It was awful and disgusting but she could see past it all.

"No I don't suppose I do. I know I probably should but…" she looked away for a second,  
"I can't feel fear. I just can't. Besides…" She stepped back again and studied the creature. "You looked tortured and hurting, not scary. Are you sure I can't help?"

"No. Mind the fire." With that they disappeared. No smoke. No flash of light.

She looked around in surprise. They were gone? Just gone. Not a trace was left on the wall, not even the holes left by the giant needles. It was spotless.

"Interesting…" Anna muttered, and turned away with one last glance at the metal wall.

 _Mind the fire._ It had said.

As Anna walked in search of the slithery thing she dubbed the dream snake, the hallway started to twist around her. One minute she was walking on the floor, the next she was on the ceiling.

"Is this supposed to be scary? It's annoying," she said with slight contempt. Then she scoffed at annoyance at herself for being contempt. It was in her own head after all and it was rather backward to hold contempt for something her own sub-conscious created. There was flaw in her logic but she choose to ignore it for the moment.

 _HSSSSSSSSS._

There.

Anna chased the tail end of the snake into a doorway but when she entered the room in was completely empty. Just an empty slate grey room with four plain walls, a floor, and a ceiling.

"I'm in a room. It's pretty boring looking. Just a room with grey paint," Anna said, "Hold on. There's something else. I didn't see it when I first came in."

 _What is it?_

"A mirror," Anna frowned in confusion. She looked behind her. "It's weird looking. It's goes from the ceiling to the floor but it's crooked. Like a lopsided funhouse mirror. And I can see the door I just walked through."

 _What do you think is the significance of the mirror?_

Anna almost rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You don't get it. I can see the door I just came through but I can't see myself in it. I'm standing right between them but there's nothing of me. It's like I'm invisible."

 _Are you scared of being invisible?_

"No," Anna said. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. That voice just wouldn't shut up sometimes.

Suddenly, Anna noticed something. It was like an outline of a heatwave in the mirror.

Anna waved her arm and a vague shape like a piece of clear ice in a glass of water moved with her in the mirror.

She walked toward the mirror in curiosity and stood right in front of it. The distorted shape moved with her.

Anna squinted and carefully reached a hand to the glass.

She suddenly yelped and yanked her hand away. The tips of her fingers were an angry burnt red and already several white hot blisters were forming at the ends. The feeling of assaulted nerves shot its way down her arm and tingled her spine.

She stuck her throbbing burnt fingers in her mouth. She almost gagged on the disgustingly gooey feeling of blisters on her tongue. Her saliva really didn't help much but sucking slightly relieved the pain.

She turned to glare at the mirror but her face suddenly shifted to one of shock. She removed her fingers, carefully wiping them off on the corner of her now bloody towel that she somehow still had with her.

She dropped the towel with a grimace.

There was something else in the mirror. Or rather, someone. They stared at her with a curious expression but their appearance was simply so incredibly bizarre.

It looked practically unreal. It was dressed for a party. A strange party where guest chatted atop tombstones and party crashers clawed their way up through the dead grass. The clothes were in weren't moth eaten rags or stained in mud and other various substances. They were well kept and elegant. A silky clean dress adorned the figure. The dress was inky black with white spider web shaped lace crisscrossed all over it.

The coat was the real kicker though. It was long, reaching just past the wearer's knees, but on Anna it would have drowned her in fabric and trailed behind her like a badly designed macabre wedding train. Both the inside and out was black and covered in thin vertical white pinstripes that elongated the figures already stick thin and tall frame. Little orange pumpkins were embroidered along the hem and a large wiry spider web collar framed the pencil thin neck of the creature. It was a pretty ridiculous looking outfit. Something fit only for a Halloween costume. Yet the way the creature wore it…they stood as if it was something they wore every day.

But even the childish looking pumpkins as the only color only added to the off-putting nature of the being. They were too tall and disproportionately thin. The pinstripes were crooked and could make eyes swim. The hands were huge yet somehow elegant. The creature reminded Anna of a starving hyena with that lopsided grin and toothpick body and pseudo-controlled insanity just below the surface.

Anna felt a sensation she hadn't had in over a decade. Dread. The creature had its eye sockets locked with Anna's own. It stared at her in the same curiosity Anna had.

With one major difference. A wide happy, mischievous, grin that stretched across its entire face adorned it, like it knew something she didn't.

Anna felt an ache in her throat. She wanted to run. She actually wanted to run. She couldn't explain it but terror fell off this stick thin creature like waves. It was so tall. The longer she stared, the taller it seemed to grow right before her eyes. Soon it towered over Anna at nearly seven feet though she suspected… no… hoped, that it was just an illusion.

It laughed. A horrible pitchy cackle that made Anna's hair stand on end, further cementing the hyena picture.

In an instant, the terrible part of her imagination gave her an awful image of that creature lunging at her with outstretched claws and a hinged maw before sinking its crooked broken teeth into her neck. Blood staining its too perfectly clean coat.

It didn't though.

Almost as if it could hear her thoughts, the monster tilted its head and smiled wider than what Anna thought was possible, giving her an excellent view of every tooth.

Anna scrambled backward as the creature lifted one long bony finger and tapped the glass like a kid at the zoo tapping on the glass of a venomous snake's case without care of getting bitten.

It tapped again but this time the glass cracked where the skeleton hit it, for it was a skeleton, if a poorly proportioned one. The glass cracked in the pattern of a spider web and covered the entire mirror, or was it a window now?

The glass broke, showering Anna in shards and she instinctively lifted her arm to shield her face.

When she deemed it safe to open her eyes, the skeleton was towering over her with its smile never leaving. The empty sockets were squinted slightly and light somehow reflected off the white bone from a source the teenage girl couldn't pinpoint. It was disturbing how the skull could move as easily as skin yet it still looked like hard bone.

Anna gasped and tried to step away backward but slipped and fell on her back into a pile of tiny slivers of glass. She could feel shards digging into her hands and shoulders but didn't care.

"Who are you?" she asked in fear, the most she had ever felt since she was five. Why did she have to say that? It felt cliché to ask such a question.

"Why Anna," the skeleton laughed with a familiar voice and put a thoughtful finger to its dry lips. It crouched down till it looked Anna in the eye and whispered while holding up a large shard of mirror glass to Anna's face. Anna tried to lean away but there's only so far she could lean back.

"Don't you recognize yourself?"

Anna looked half dreading, half expecting to see something other than herself.

And she screamed.

* * *

She shouted as her eyes shot open and she bolted upright. Anna quickly looked at her hand, immediately relieved to see the tan skin she inherited from her mother and the mandatory two hours a day in the sun both parents required of their three children.

"Anna? Are you okay? What happened?"

The fifteen year old felt an unnerving amount of satisfaction upon seeing her therapist's alarmed expression.

Doctor Phineas Fog Ramsey was the son of a retired Librarian and Vietnam War hero. His father had died ages ago in the war when his mom was pregnant and Mrs. Ramsey, the librarian, had never fancied remarrying. Anna personally thought the good doctor had turned out well enough, if inherently and annoying nosy from growing up with gossipy women all his life. Not to say he didn't have any male role models. Apparently, his father's two brothers and multiply army buddies were all too willing to fill in for Col. Ramsey. Mrs. Mary Ramsey was pretty attractive in the sixties, if the picture of her and the colonel on the doctor's desk was anything to go by. Regardless, that motherly-prying-into-other-people's-business-like-a-can-of-paint-attitude wasn't very well balanced out and left Doc with a too well-honed skill that he never hesitated to use with bat crazy patients.

Like Anna.

Actually, Anna knew an awful lots of personal stuff about the quack. He had been her doctor for eight years and honestly she thought he was pretty stupid. True, he had a PHD and that had to count for something but sometimes he said things that made Anna think he had the IQ of a squirrel. Which really wasn't all that bad. Squirrels were pretty smart. They were annoying and Anna shot them in her backyard with her pellet gun but they were relatively smart.

But when it came to psychoanalyzing teenagers with damaged amygdalae who couldn't physically feel the flight or fight response, Anna would prefer her shrink at least have the intelligence of an otter. Otters were smarter than squirrels; they used tools.

` The only reason why she had managed to hang on for this long was because she had turned it into a game. How many personal facts can they learn about each other without being told on purpose? Right now Anna's winning. Last month she learned that Doc has a third nipple on the knuckle of his big toe, information courteous of his mother when Anna visited the nursing home. Anna felt awful for all those other people that had the same affliction but couldn't help but laugh every time she thought about it. It probably wasn't true. Mrs. Ramsey was a joker…

Her eyes drifted toward Dr. Ramsey's shoes and she suddenly snorted in amusement.

"Annalise, stay focused."

Poor man didn't know she knew.

"Now I want you to focus. I know it's hard but it's important you try to remember every detail of these dreams as soon as possible before they fade. It may take some time but I told you it would take a couple tries for this hypnotism to work," satisfied that he knew why Anna was being so hesitant, he nodded decisively. His eyes darted to a bowl of walnuts that Anna had brought to taunt him silently. She wanted to bring acorns but she decided that was too overt.

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. She remembered each of the three dreams she had so far perfectly and in detail. She just didn't want to tell anyone about them, especially her shrink. It really wasn't the doctor's fault he sounded so clueless to Anna but she figured it was better to keep her "visions" to herself rather than risk her already stressed parents sending her to that hospital that Doc Ramsey had the _gall_ to suggest sending her after the snake incident.

She stuck her hand in a snake's cage when the zoo had done some educational show-and-tell at the high school. That little incident was probably the most excitement most of the students present had in a week. One of the girls had dared Anna to pick up the rattlesnake without getting bit.

It was a mean taut really. It went something along the lines off, "You're such a freak. You might as well go let that snake bite you. You wouldn't survive the trip to the hospital. No one would miss you and your boyfriend probably just hangs around in pity." Anna immediately added that girl to her list of "People Who Really Could Be Smarter" and her "Pumpkin List."

Anna had weighed her options and decided it was safe enough. She already had done it a few times at the farmhouse her grandparents owned (not that her grandparents knew). She could pick up a venomous snake easily. She waited until the two adults on the auditorium stage, the zoo person and the principal, weren't looking and crept on stage without anyone knowing. It was really very strange. They should have been able to see her but she managed to get right behind them without a single creak of the floor boards or a glance in her direction. Even weirder, lots of people in the audience should have been able to see her the entire time but her friends said it was like she just appeared there when she cleared her throat. Looking back, it was like they knew she was there and could see her but couldn't notice her until she wanted them to.

Oh the looks on everyone's faces were hilarious!

The principal fainted and the audience gasped and screamed, though a few jeered and laughed thinking it was a hoax with a plastic snake. All the while, Anna laughed at the shocked zoo keeper's face as she calmly held the rattlesnake by the back of the head. It didn't even let it's fangs out or try to bite her. It just hung there from her hand without a care in the world.

Of course, a half hour later she was surrounded by paramedics, her parents, the zoo keeper's boss, a reporter from the school news (who reads that?), and a police officer. The officer really didn't do anything. The zoo keeper hadn't done anything wrong.

The story pretty much ended with an emergency session with the Doc, a week long suspension, a fervent letter to the zoo director begging him not to fire the poor employee, and a slew of nicknames of various severities and meanings from a thousand high school students, most of which still have underdeveloped brains. The students, not the nicknames.

"Psycho Freak" was a favorite among those people who pretend to be mean but really were insecure and jealous of Anna's attention.

"Medusa" was much better. Surprisingly, that one seemed to stick the best.

Anna's personal favorite was "Charmer," mostly because it was the nickname Mark gave her meaning "Snake Charmer" and because she _charmed_ him. She pretended not to like it. It was a bit too mushy and silly, and Anna wasn't one to be silly. Strange yes. Obsessively interested in everything and anything? Yes. But not _silly_ or _corny._

Back in the present, over the next half hour, Annalise Grisholme successfully frustrated Dr. Ramsey to the point that he let her out five minutes early, which was a big deal since the doctor is usually very particular about when he ends or begins his sessions. Her last glimpse of him as the heavy soundproof door closed was of him grudgingly digging through his "Post-Bat Crazy" drawer. That's what Anna called it at least. It was really just the bottom drawer of his huge mahogany desk where he kept his migraine medicine, stress balls, and dart board. And a bottle of Scotch.

Anna's face didn't change when she passed the receptionist but as she reached the door and turned to wave goodbye, she smiled brightly and casually dropped…one…two…three…four of his darts into the dirt of a small potted tree next to the door.

She darted (pun intended) out the door and waited until she heard the doctor's office door slam. The sounds were muffled but she could pick up the receptionist's deadpanned voice saying "Plant" and the footsteps as the shrink walked to the little tree. There was a few rustling noises as the doctor searched for his precious darts.

Three

Two

One

Suddenly, two ear splitting shrieks vibrated down the hallway of the office building, making several people poke their head out in search of the cause of the commotion.

But Anna was long gone.

Rattlesnakes may be deadly, but little garter snakes were harmless.

* * *

Mark Deaton wasn't sure what to think when his girlfriend stumbled out the front doors of her shrink's office building laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing. Immediately, he got out of the driver's side and went around his car to open the passenger side for Anna.

"Pumpkin List?"

"Hehe. Pumpkin List," Anna laughed in her seat as Mark leaned over the car door. "Now hurry up and get in before he catches up!"

"Aye aye Fearless," Mark snapped to attention and gave Anna a mock salute as she closed the door. He slid over the hood of his car, mostly to impress, and drove down the street as fast as he legally could.

Anna liked her Pumpkin List ever since she made it when she was five. It was a list of people she had lined up for a prank. She and it were almost legendary in a town small enough to only have three schools: the elementary school, the high school, and the community college.

Essentially the rule of the town was: don't make Annalise Grisholme mad or you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a nasty prank when Halloween rolls around. No one is safe, young or old, and she didn't differentiate between friend and foe, except that the "friend" pranks were often better fodder for a good laugh later. She also had a very good memory. Some people purposely "employed" her for pranks, either on themselves or someone else. The best part was that she didn't wait for Halloween night. She knew more people had their guard up during Halloween. She acted on the List as early as October 1st or as late as the day after Halloween. She didn't do the whole list alone either; often hiring other clever individuals to do certain portions of the List. She didn't pull her elaborate plans the night of Halloween though, that was reserved for the Souling Race.

The Souling Race was an opportunity for the kids of the town to run amok and play jump scares on each other. There was a wooded park between the high school and the college that was about a square mile wide. Halloween night it was entirely cordoned off by police and the fire department while volunteers walked around carrying first aid kits just in case. Kids of all ages ran in and basically played the greatest giant game of hide-n-seek there ever was. All the players had to scare each other enough elicit a scream and if they were successful, the victim had to stamp a card the scarer had with them. Everyone had their own personal stamp or hole-punch that was unique to them. The winner was determined by points that players gained five each by having someone else's mark on their card. Unfortunately, for every person that had _their_ mark, they were subtracted ten points.

There was a big bucket of little rubber stamps that anyone could use near the entrances. Every year, the high school craft club would make more as a service project. However, lots of the older kids had their own custom ones.

Anna and Mark both still had theirs they helped make in second grade. Their parents helped so they looked pretty good, but the kids designed them one their own.

Mark's was a little silly but he loved it. It was a lightning bolt with his initials M. A. D (Mark August Deaton) above the word SCIENTIST. Both word were scratched in backwards with a sharp knife.

Anna's was a skeleton cat walking on top of a smiling Jack O'Lantern with the word "Fearless" underneath in cursive. She added the "Fearless" last year. Of course, just like Mark, she carved it in backwards so it would look the right way stamped onto something and the awkwardness of carving into the rubber in front of a mirror made it look very jagged, but still really cool.

Anna Grisholme was the current leading champion. She had _never_ stamped another person's card.

There was even talk of a team up this year with the sole purpose of getting a scream out of Anna.

Suckers.

Mark kept his attention to the road but watched as Anna took out a small black canvas covered notebook with a picture of a scarecrow with a pumpkin head hand-painted on the cover. After fishing for a pencil in her purse, she turned to a page titled "Pumpkin List 1995" across the top. With a satisfying swipe of her hand "Shrink Ramsey" was scratched off the list. Two days until Halloween...

"Who's next?" Mark asked casually.

"Oh no. You know the rules," Anna snapped the little book closed with one hand and pointed the pencil at her boyfriend with a glare. She had a sparkle in her eye as she pushed a strand of black hair out of her face.

"Come on just a peek," Mark teased.

"Eyes front soldier," Anna pointed at the road.

"I didn't mean that way," Mark snapped, "My eyes are always front."

"They better be or it won't be just my dad who will kill you."

"Yeah I know," Mark said. Wasn't it the guys who were supposed to make the girls blush?

Anna sighed and leaned her head on the door window. She felt the buzzing of the road beneath the tires rattle her skull. Usually this was the reason why she hid a tiny pillow in a little box beneath the seat of the family car. But this wasn't the family car, this was Mark's new car and he seemed to be always coming up with excuses to drive it as much as possible. Recently he had taken up to driving Anna to school and doctor appointments, much to Anna's mom's chagrin.

Her dad, ironically, thought Mark was awesome and trusted the Christian boy with his daughter. Perhaps it was because Anna's dad was Mark's scoutmaster in his Boy Scout Troop and their families all went to the same church.

"Something up Charmer?"

"Don't call me that," Anna snapped.

Mark didn't respond and they sat in silence for a minute.

Anna listened to the white noise of the outside traffic until she thought the buzzing of the road hurt her head enough.

"It's the dreams," she finally admitted, though she didn't look at Mark.

Mark hummed and signaled while briefly checking over his shoulder before moving into another lane.

"They won't stop. I thought Dr. Ramsey was crazy when he suggested hypnotism. But these dreams, they're so real Roman," she said, using the nickname she gave him in history class when they were in sixth grade. "They scare me."

"I still don't quite understand why you won't tell the Ram."

"You don't get it. They make. Me. Scared. Mark," Anna suddenly turned and glared at Mark with such ferocity that he briefly swerved in surprise. "I _can't_ feel fear. I shouldn't be able to. The amygdala of my brain is dead yet I can feel fear inside a dream. It doesn't work like that." Anna sighed again and said sadly, "…It shouldn't at least. If I tell him, he'll put me on medication again. I don't want to forget what fear feels like."

Mark scoffed, "Why not? You're lucky Charmer."

He really should have stopped then but he didn't see the _look_ Anna gave him out of the corner of her squinted eye.

"You never have to worry about freezing up during a game when a giant linebacker's charging you. Remember when I did that? You don't worry over tests or pop quizzes. You just study hard and breeze through them no problem. You're not afraid to walk up to the principal and tell him Chelsea put those pictures of Kelly on the web even though she threatened you. You picked up a snake that could have killed you if you hesitated like a normal person would. Last year you ran into the middle of the road to grab that little kid during the parade. You saved his life!"

"Now you're over exaggerating," Anna whispered bitterly.

"No I'm not. Not being able to fear is a gift, I think. It's like your own super power," Mark grinned at Anna but his face fell when she didn't smile.

Anna didn't bother to argue with him. She had already told him her side of this argument multiple times. It was his fault for not listening. It didn't help that she wasn't sure how to explain it to him better. The words existed but they were just out of her grasp. She didn't understand fear enough to describe this _need_ to feel it.

They fell into an awkward silence.

"Sorry," Mark said, "I just…"

"I know."

Mark swallowed at her cold tone, "Remind me. What were the dreams about?"

Anna closed her eyes and pictured each dream in her head. She tried her best to recall every detail she could. When she was satisfied she remember what she needed, she began.

"The first one was about a man in a quince tree…"


	3. Chapter 3: A Familiar Story

**I do not own the Nightmare Before Christmas. I got a warning for this chapter, there's some pretty gruesome things described a few times so beware if you're squeamish. Reviews would be appreciated, after all, I can't correct my problems if I don't know what they are so give me a hand. Is my writing too long winded? Is the dialogue awkward? A few lines telling me you're interested in the story would be fine even, since this story is only just starting out.**

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Chapter 3

A Familiar Story

" _Sorry," Mark said, "I just…"_

 _"I know."_

 _Mark swallowed at her cold tone, "Remind me. What were the dreams about."_

 _Anna closed her eyes and pictured each dream in her head. She tried her best to recall every detail she could. When she was satisfied she remember what she needed, she began…._

"The first one was about the man in a quince tree yelling at another man on the ground who was laughing really hard. The man on the ground had used a dagger to scratch a cross symbol into the bark and the angry man was cursing at him. I mean, I think he was cursing. I couldn't understand what they were saying. I think they were speaking Irish. Or Gaelic. I think. I don't really know what those sound like."

Her voice was without feeling at first, like she was recounting what she had for breakfast, but as she got into the rhythm of the story emotion laced its way throughout. It bled into her descriptions and she never missed a beat or faltered in her words. She knew the story by heart and knew exactly how she wanted to tell it.

"The laughing man said something up to the angry man and the angry man yelled again before nodding. Then the man on the ground scratched a line through the cross and the man in the tree suddenly disappeared."

Mark nodded. Anna had told him the story before but he was checking to see if she remembered it the same way as before. "What happened next?

"It was like I had blinked. The next scene went by so fast, I wasn't sure it had really happened. I saw the laughing man working at a forge, hammering a sword I think. He was a blacksmith. There was a little boy sitting on the bench in a corner staring at a bucket of vegetables and a pot. The boy said something that sounded like he was complaining and the man stopped working. He took off his gloves and walked over to the boy and asked him a question. Then he picked up a vegetable from the bucket and looked it over. Then he grinned and took out a knife and with a few quick cuts he carved a little face in the vegetable. It was either a turnip or an onion. He handed it to the boy who pouted as the man went back to work, but when he thought the man wasn't looking, a little smile crept up his lips. The scene changed again, sort of. A little like the way a movie scene charges but this one was so fast and violent that it scared me. It was like I was there. I screamed but I couldn't hear anything. I mean I could hear things, just not myself. There was fire everywhere. I thought it was melting my eyeballs."

"Cool," Mark said.

"Shut up. Anyway I could see the laughing man from before and he was holding something close to him in a bundle and surround by fire. We were in a barn I think. Or a house. He couldn't see me but he was looking for a way out. The barn door had collapsed and I could see people outside trying to pour water on the burning wood that was blocking the way out but the fire was too hot. The laughing man from before was yelling back and forth with someone outside. He was crying, I think, but the fire was evaporating his tears. He pulled down the blanket around the bundle and hugged the little boy he was holding. The boy was coughing and about to pass out. He looked about seven or eight. The crying man…"

"I thought you said he was the laughing man," Mark smirked.

"Well now he's the crying man. I'm on a roll here. Let me finish. Anyway! The crying man said something to the little boy and the boy nodded. I didn't know what they were saying but I could hear the people outside yelling frantically and louder now. Suddenly, the crying man threw the little boy through the fire and over the burning wooden beam. Someone outside caught him and hugged him really tightly. It was a woman who was also crying. The blanket caught on fire and someone else drenched the boy in water and some hair on the side of his head was singed, but other than that he was okay."

"The crying man was laughing again because the boy was safe but he was still crying. Only now it was tears of joy. Almost as soon as he saw the boy was safe there was a loud creaking sound and the entire house, or barn, collapse on top of us. I didn't get hurt but I was now in a little cave made by a burning pile of wood and the laughing man was pinned underneath a huge beam. It was on fire too and it was huge! The man was crushed…" Anna trailed off here, her voice getting tight. "I thought he was dead. He wasn't yet but the flames were catching on his clothes and his hair." Anna voice stalled as she swallowed a sob and glared up at the roof of the car in an effort to keep her tears from falling out. "But he was still laughing. He just kept at it. It was horrible. I could see blood under him boiling. And his skin was…melting….And he was screaming but at the same time he kept laughing. He was just so happy that the boy was safe that he didn't care that he was literally burning alive. I was gagging from the stench. And then his eyes..."

"Uh Anna. I'm sorry but…um…" Mark was pale as a sheet and a little green. He had just eaten before picking Anna up. Mistake. "I heard this before. You saw him die, then you woke up."

Anna swallowed and nodded. She was disturbed by the dream but it was sad and gross, not scary for her, just like the big voodoo doll. "Okay. The second dream I had the week after. It was about the next morning after the barn fire. I saw the little boy sitting in black ashes on the ground staring at the black sooty ruins of the building. Suddenly, the woman who caught him picked him up and held his face away from the scene and a group of men pulled a blackened skeleton out of the ruins. They didn't all look very sad but they did look…regretful? They wrapped up the blackened skeleton and took it away and the woman put the little boy down and held his hand as they walked away." Anna paused briefly to collect herself.

"Then the scene changed and I was standing next to the boy who was holding something in his hand. It looked like a vegetable. A turnip. A really big one too, not like the ones we get at the grocery store. It was almost as big as my head. It was later in the day, almost dark, but the wood was still smoking a bit. The little boy was also holding a knife."

"Dagger," Mark corrected.

"Yes, a dagger," Anna agreed, "And I think it was the same one the laughing man used to carve on the tree in my first dream. At first I thought the boy was cutting up the turnip to eat it, then I saw the group of people, villagers probably, behind him. They didn't look like they were there for a ceremony or anything. They were just watching the boy. It seemed like they were working to clean up the remains of the fire and had stopped to see what the boy was doing. After an hour or so the boy stopped carving and I saw that he had hollowed out the inside of the turnip and had carved a face in it. He looked sadly satisfied and sat down on his knees and pulled out a little candle and two rocks. He hit the two rocks together but nothing happened."

Anna opened her eyes again and looked to her boyfriend in earnest. She wanted him to understand how heartbroken the little boy was. "He did it again and again and again and cut his fingers of the sharp edges and started to get frustrated. Until one of the men came up behind him and took the rocks gently away from the boy's bloody fingers. The man lit a little fire with a bit of tinder. The boy used it to light the candle. The boy quickly put the candle inside the turnip and stood up so fast his head almost broke the helping man's nose. The boy held the lantern carefully and started walking away from the black ruins. It was a short walk through the small village until he got to the forge I saw earlier. He put the turnip lantern on a bench out front and without a word took the woman's hand and walked away while crying. There was a little blood from his fingers smeared on the lantern."

"Was that it?"

"You know it wasn't," she said quietly and leaned her head back on the window, "Next I saw a mountain. A huge mountain with the rest of the earth far below and stars so close I could actually touch them if I wanted. There was a little gate in a crevice not far from me and on my side I saw the laughing man and on the other side I saw another man without any shoes wearing a white dress. Don't laugh. It was a tunic but it looked like a dress. There were talking but this time I could understand what they were saying. The man in white spoke; he said, 'Though you knew of our Savior, you never renounced your pagan gods. God does not know you and I cannot allow you entry. I'm sorry but there is only one other place left for you.'"

"The laughing man laughed again but this time it was nervous and slightly terrified. 'Alas I cannot. I beg of you, I was wrong. Will thou not allow me another chance at redemption?'"

"'My sympathies, Jack. However, the Lord's will is law and you brought this upon yourself by your own free will. God so loved us that he gave us the ability to choose our own path and you have chosen yours brother.'"

"The rocks under 'Jack's' feet gave away and he was falling, screaming the whole way. I lost my footing too and fell with him and I tried to scream but I couldn't. I thought we would be smashed to pieces when we hit the earth but somehow we kept falling past the earth and deeper. It was black and shapeless when my body slammed into the slick ground. It was like black glass and I thought I would slip if I tried to stand. I was still on the ground when I looked up and saw Jack arguing with the man from the very beginning. The man he stuck up in a tree. I could hear them talking but I could only understand Jack at first. He was begging to be let in saying it was so cold and that the warmth of Heaven had rejected him and that he only had the eternal burning damnation of Hell left. I know that sounds dramatic but it was something like that. Then the other man laughed and I could hear what he said at last."

"'Why Jack,' the tree man said mockingly, 'Don't you remember our little deal? I may be the Father of Lies but I keep the deals I make with you funny little worms that my dearest _Father_ likes to dote on. I won't let you in. Just as _we_ agreed.'

"'Please…' Jack started but Satan interrupted. It was Satan by the way. It was strange. He didn't have silly horns or a tail. He was actually really handsome and he wore a robe with red and blue jewels. A lot better dressed than when I saw him in rags in a tree. But he looked _too_ good. Like a model. His appearance felt fake and… desperate."

It left a bad taste on both their tongues when she had to mention how handsome _Satan_ looked. It just felt so wrong. However, they both could remember reading in the Bible how Lucifer was the most beautiful and honored of all the angels before he fell.

"'Do not try the Angel Lucifer's patience _Jack._ It's a shame you won't receive the eternal death the Enemy created for me and my followers down here but I'll enjoy watching you torturously squirm in the shadows, walking amongst man yet not. Walking until Times End when I take my rightful place as my _Father's_ zenith of creation. I will be God myself. When that day come's, make no mistake, I will remember you and your humiliation of me.' The Devil leaned in close until he stared Jack in the face. Jack grunted in pain as the coldness from the Devil frost-burned him all over again. 'I will make you wish you were never once even an _idea_ in God's mind. Leave and never return.'"

"'But I have nowhere to go,' Jack said as the angry red light that was the door to Hell started to fade."

"'Curse you and be gone you pitiful ape! ' Satan screamed in rage, losing his aforementioned patience, and a fire ball shot out of the light and slammed into Jacks stomach. Jack screamed and convulsed on the ground and I suddenly felt the urge to help. But I couldn't. I saw that the fire ball was really a tiny ember that burned as hot as the sun. Jack was so cold that he gripped the ember in his hands even though it burned off the skin and flesh of his hands and face right down to the bone. He shouted in pain but couldn't let go."

Anna made a disgusted face.

Mark had to tear his eyes away from Anna to look back at the road. She was just so animated when she told stories. No one could tell stories like she did.

"Eventually he dropped it but not before all of his clothes and flesh was completely burned off until he was just a skeleton. Yet somehow still alive and moving. The ember didn't char his bones like the 'real' fire that killed him did. It left them a bright polished white. Like porcelain. He was curled up on the ground with his skull in his hands and I could see his rib cage expanding and contracting like he was still breathing and there was a weird rattling sound. It took me a bit, but I realized that the rattling was his bones shaking and hitting together at the joints."

"He was crying but there weren't any tears. He was whispering something I couldn't hear over and over again and when he finally looked up I noticed that we made both moved somehow. Instead of an empty black, we were now in the middle of a street in the medieval village from earlier and the ember was still burning on the ground in front of Jack. I couldn't get closer because it was still very hot. It was like a bonfire heat but it looked so tiny..."

"Jack was still shaking and held his hands up to the ember. It seemed to help but Jack wouldn't pick it up again. He finally seemed to recognize where we were, though he still hadn't noticed me. We were right next to the forge where he and the little boy were earlier. The turnip was still on the wooden bench but the candle had blown out just then. There was a little wisp of smoke. Jack saw the turnip and smiled again. His smile was…sad and nice looking…ish… but it was really creepy looking on a skeleton. He didn't have any lips and it made him look…eh…"

"Disturbing?" Mark supplied as he turned the car off the highway and through town.

"Maybe. That still doesn't seem like the right word. But yeah, disturbing. So he looked at the turnip and smiled sadly. Like he knew the boy had carved it for him. Then he frowned. His frown was worse than when he smile. Ironically, it looked like all his emotions were even more exaggerated without a real face and flesh to hide behind. Does that make any sense whatsoever?"

"Actually, it kind of does."

"Okay. So he was still on his knees, in the dirt. No flesh, no clothes. Dead. With empty black eye sockets."

Anna stumbled a bit when she thought of the other skeleton she saw in her third and most recent dream. She shook her head briefly and resolved to worry about it later.

"He looked between the turnip lantern and the ember from Hell a couple time. Then he stood up and walked a few shaky steps to the bench where the turnip was and reached _way_ down. I didn't notice before but he was _really_ tall. That scene in the forge I saw when he was alive; his head almost brushed the ceiling but I didn't think of him as a very big man because he was really thin. But now he seemed even taller and because he was just bones he was even thinner and lanky. His arms and legs seemed a lot longer than they should have been."

Mark tried not to laugh as she made another funny face, this one somewhat confused.

"It's weird but I kind of knew why. I didn't hear anyone say something or see it, but I just _knew_." She broke from her story to explain what she meant to Mark, "His spirit was damaged from dying to violently that his soul was distorted, so his ghost appeared distorted and changed according to what happened to him. Satan throwing an ember from Hell helped but he would have ended up like a weird skeleton anyway the longer he wandered on Earth between Heaven and Hell."

"That's a very detailed explanation. Are you still sure you didn't make it up when you woke up."

"I'm sure Mark," she was already thinking about her last dream with the different skeleton again and didn't need Mark making her think of why she knew about the "soul distortion." That seemed like a good name for it, if any.

"Okay okay!" the sixteen year old boy would have put his hand up in surrender if it didn't mean taking his hands off the steering wheel.

"Any-way! Where was I?"

"He bent down to pick up the turnip," Mark said, imitating Anna's story telling voice.

"He bent down to pick up the turnip. But was hesitant. Like he wasn't sure if his hand would go through the vegetable or not. I think he knew ghosts weren't supposed to be able to touch physical things. He looked so relieved when his finger touched the turnip and it wobbled a bit that I actually laughed at how tragically comical his face was. This time I heard myself and slapped a hand over my mouth. The skeleton looked up but his eyes- dang it! Sorry. Backing up a bit. He didn't have eyes anymore but he could still see. Shame though. He had really pretty bright blue eyes."

Mark made a face. Anna always added in that part to mess with him. He had bright blue eyes too.

"He looked up but still didn't see me and I don't really think he heard me either. But with more confidence he picked up the turnip and took a few steps back toward the ember that was still burning a bright red. The candle had melted enough to secure its base to the inside of the vegetable and Jack didn't seemed to want to accidently damage the lantern in order to light the candle so he didn't break it out. He stared at the ember and sneered. Then he steeled himself and as fast as he could, picked the ember up on the tip of his bony finger. He stifled a groan of pain and stuck his finger through the eye of the lantern and put the ember to the wick of the candle. Immediately, it burst into flame and Jack now had a brightly burning lantern. He quickly removed his finger which didn't have the ember anymore and stuck it in his mouth. He held the lantern almost reverently and looked at it eye to eye in amusement.

"'Tis looks like thee shall have a companion on thy accursed journey,' he said, voice deep and thoughtful."

"Suddenly there was a clatter and we both turned to see a girl staring at us, actually Jack. She had dropped the jar of water she was carrying and stood stock still as if hoping Jack wouldn't see her if she didn't move. Apparently she didn't think it worked because she suddenly screamed loudly, making Jack jump and drop his lantern. It didn't go out though it should have and Jack took a brief moment to look at it in curiosity as he instinctively picked it up. People were coming out of the houses now and saw Jack. Some women and the children screamed, a few men too I think, while the rest turned as pale as Jack's bones. There was a brief scrambling for weapons and Jack had plenty of time to run. However, he looked too shocked at the realization that they could see him to move. He did move to get out of the way of a thrown spear and ax and found his voice. I thought I wouldn't be able to understand them anymore but I could. Jack said, 'Halt friends! It is I, Jack! He who departed life but yesternight! Please, I mean thee no harm!'"

"Was this dream about Shakespeare in the Park by any chance? 'To be or not to be? That is the question. Whether tis nobler to…'" Mark started by using one hand outstretched dramatically.

"Oh shush. That's what he said. Then one of the villagers yelled, "Begon evil creature! Jack thy may hast been in life, yet even then we suffered your wickedness, our patience kept in check by thy skill at the metal. Thy and thy son had shelter among us! Yet even though thy claim to be Jack, demon now I only seen before me an evil wraith to be destroyed. Woe be to us for not disposing of thy remains as we should have.' All the men cheered in agreement at the older man's word and Jack's eye sockets widened in fear. He stepped back past the forge and continued to plead, 'Have mercy bretheren. I was cursed. Accurse by the foolishness of my youth.'

"'You have no youth! No past nor future! We will not stand to be misled by thy tricks and foolishness in death as in thy life.'"

"Suddenly, Jack saw a little face in the crowd, hiding behind a wall of men with weapons and women with torches. 'James! Jamie!' he cried, 'It is me. Your father. Son please! I mean no harm.' But the little boy was frozen. He stared at the skeleton that claimed to be his father in shock. He was pale and frightened and couldn't move. Then one of the women shouted that the monster's come to take the child away. That seemed to provoke the men, who in hindsight, were far better armed than I thought people who were farmers would be."

"Jack continued to back up toward the outskirts of the village but he didn't look away from Jamie the entire time. All the while the villager were making different signs over their chests and jeering and all around acting a lot braver than they really were. Suddenly, one of the men with spears got too jittery and nervous."

"Jack put his hands up to add to his attempt at convincing his previous neighbors he was safe but the man saw it as an attack and threw his spear in panic. He was shaking so much that it was a miracle he hit Jack at all, but as it was, it clipped his shoulder bone, uh…the clavicle, leaving a short but deep grove in the bone. It looked painful but I think it surprised Jack more than hurt him. There was a bit of blood, which was really weird to see on a skeleton with no flesh but it probably came from the marrow, which is still very strange."

"Jack stumbled back and clutched his shoulder. The blood was leaking out, not really 'bleeding.' Jack shouted and ducked around the corner of the nearest house."

"They chased him, the warriors, and surrounded the house on all sides. But when they looked he was nowhere to be seen. They sent the women and children indoors while the men embarked on a hunt throughout their village and in the nearby forest. They left nearly every woman with a weapon of some kind, be it a large knife, a bow and quiver of arrows. One man even handed his wife one of two swords he was carrying." Anna scoffed. "She actually looked pretty threatening."

"I was stuck in one place the entire time so even though I tried to follow Jack I couldn't move my feet in the direction he disappeared. I didn't know where he went but I found I could follow the son, Jamie, if I wished. I did and we when a relatively big house. Well, big for the time period."

"Jamie ran to this little bed of furs and quilts on a slab of wood in the corner. The other people mostly ignored him as they busied with barricading the door. When he was sure no one was watching him, he snuck to the back door and cracked it open. Once outside, he sat against the wall and looked back and forth. He whispered; 'Father?' but he didn't hear anything but the wind whistling through the trees. He sat there for nearly a whole hour by himself. The voices of the yelling men and the light of the dim torchlights had faded long ago. No one came for him and the moon was his only companion. Was that as sappy as I think it was? Well I was there. I sat next to him and talked for a while but since he couldn't see me or hear me I doubt I count as a 'companion'."

"There was a creaking noise above our heads and a bit of thatch from the roof landed on his knee. He looked up just as a shadow dropped to the ground next to him. I had to scramble out of the way. Jamie almost screamed in shock but a skeleton hand reached up and covered his mouth quickly. 'Hush my boy,' Jack said quickly, 'You know I would never hurt ye.'"

"Jamie nodded numbly with wide eyes."

"Jack removed his hand and reached forward but Jamie flinched away. Jack retreated and looked at the ground."

"'Why are you here, papa?' Jamie said quietly."

"Jack didn't answer immediately but he looked at his son, looking for hope. But his heart broke when he only saw fear in the boy's eyes. Jamie refuse to look at the skeleton's empty eye sockets, so devoid of life that Jamie was having trouble seeing his dad in the white bones before him."

"I started feeling tired really suddenly. I could barely stand straight. I sat down on the ground in front of them getting dirt on my PJs and exhaustedly watched them."

"Then Jack spoke; 'James Jack's-son,' he said softly yet seriously. The boy looked up hesitantly. 'Do you remember the stories about her God that Mama used to tell you before bed?" Jamie nodded, little tears glistening at the corner of his eyes as he thought of his beautiful momma."

"Just a second," Mark interrupted again, "You didn't explain to me before; how did you know what they were thinking of at different times."

"Eh. It was really strange. Every once in a while there was a flash of pictures and emotions from someone and for a moment I pretty much could see and feel what they were thinking. So back to James. He had lost both parents now. He was alone now even if his father seemed to be visiting him from beyond the grave."

"Jack smiled and I guessed he was thinking of his wife. 'Do you remember that I mocked her faith? I loved your beloved Momma dearly but alas I did not share her belief. Yet I was very wrong my boy. I made a terrible mistake and mocked both God and the Devil.' Jack leaned in and put a hand on Jamie's shoulder before the boy could pull away. 'I am cursed now to wander the ground beneath our feet for my wickedness in life and my foolishness were too great to allow me entry to Paradise'."

"Jamie frowned. He had heard the women gossiping about the bad things his father had done before fleeing to this village. Jack briefly told his son what had happen. I'm not going to repeat it again but he told Jamie about Satan walking down the path with Jack, threatening to drag him to Hell. Jack laughed in disbelieve and later tricked the Devil into never letting him into Hell. He skipped the part about the fire and told Jamie about the little gate to Heaven and how he was denied entrance by Saint Peter. Then he told about the ember Satan threw at him and how he put it to the candle in the turnip lantern James made and how it couldn't be blown out for all eternity."

"Jack demonstrated with the lantern he still had and let Jamie try to blow it out but it wouldn't no matter how hard he tried. If the whole scene wasn't so sad and strange, it would be actually really sweet."

"'I shouldn't be telling you this,' Jack said, 'you're too young to be burdened by my transgressions. But this may be the last time I shall even lay eyes on you my beautiful son. You deserve to know what happened. I feel…' Jack's voice broke, 'I feel that I shall need to leave and…I can't come back."

"Jamie sniffed and I finally realized just how terrible and hard on the little boy these events were. He started crying openly, his sobbing racking his tiny little body hard and big tears rolled down his face. He was just a little crying boy who wanted his mommy and daddy. Jack hummed a little tune softly and picked up his son. He gathered up the blanket and held the boy in a bundle and gently rocked him. The sun was just barely peeking of the hills in the distance. 'I don't want you to go father. Don't leave me!' Jamie sobbed and gripped onto the ribs of the skeleton much like he would his father's shirt and Jack let out a shuddery breath. 'It will be okay. I promise. I'm here Jamie. I'll always be here even when you can't see me...'"

"'No ye won't!' Jamie cried, 'Thy shalt be gone again. I don't want ye to go! I'll convince the others ye art nice! And if I cannot, ye shall hide in the crypt at the cemetery. Just please, stay with me papa. I can't lose ye!' His voice lowered and he whispered in a plea, ' _Not again._ Not Mommy _and_ ye!'"

"'Oh my dearest child,' Jack said shakily, his sockets were squeezed shut but I could see a single tear streak down his bone. 'I can't hide forever. I'm sorry but something is calling me. I cannot explain it now but something I cannot hear is pulling me away. I have to go.'"

"'No you don't! You just want to go and leave me behind like a coward!' Jack started at these heated words and frowned with hurt at the little boy in his lap. 'No that is not it at all my son…' Jamie cut him off and yelled, 'Don't call me that! You're not my father! My father is dead! He hast gone and left me alone in the world. And he's never coming back. Just like Evelyn and Mama and the baby. Just go and leave me be!' Jamie climbed out of Jack's lap and fell into the dirt next to me still crying. He pouted and wouldn't look at Jack. Jack looked shocked and betrayed. He arose."

"The world was a deep hue of blue with early morning light as Jack picked up the lantern and walked out of town, too heartbroken to care if someone saw him. I tried to decide if I should stay with the boy or follow Jack. I decided to follow Jack and had to run to catch up as he disappeared into the woods. I looked back in time to see a woman come out the back door and gather up Jamie to take him inside. I wasn't looking where I was going and ran into someone then, which really freaked me out since before then I wasn't able to touch anything."

"Running into the other person was like running into an empty cardboard box since they were so lightweight. My own strength and weight sent the other person stumbling in surprise. I looked way up and almost peed myself. Jack looked right at me! Like he could see me. He could see me Mark!"

"He could see you," Mark agreed deadpanned.

"He glared at me and asked why I was following him. I stuttered and spat out the first thing that came to mind. I said 'You're just going to leave him?' Jack seemed surprised, there was a lot of that going around. He looked at me suspiciously but answered, casting a sad glance at the village which was now in the distance. I didn't understand everything he said. He said, 'Yesterday was the last day of harvest. The Samhaine Festival as my fathers called it since the time of ancients. Yet now I suppose it tis All Hallows Eve now with the 'Little Christs' group cropping up across this land.' He laughed derisively. 'Fitting that I shall meet my end on the Night of the Dead. The Christian missionaries came to this village years ago preaching that we should renounce our pagan gods and celebrate our honored day of last harvest as a time to mock the power of death as defeated by Iesus Christ and to honor our dead, not fear it and offer sacrifices to a false god. I was never one to believe in any superstitions, Christian or otherwise. Yet here I am, ye specter. A simple shadow of what I once twas.' I waited for him to actually answer my question. If that long winded history lesson was any indication, this Jack guy was pretty good at skirting the question."

"But he did answer, if after a long pause. Dreams must affect my sense of time because he didn't say anything for a while yet I didn't get impatient. 'I shall wander this world as punishment for my insolence,' he said, 'But I will return to my son every year. To watch him grow into a man. I will return on All Hallows Eve every year until God sees it fit to end my suffering'. He was more speaking to himself than me and when he was done, he looked back at me only to start in surprise. He looked around worriedly. I asked him what was wrong but he could not see or hear me anymore. He started to fade away along with the rest of the world and I woke up then."

Anna stopped but unspoken words hung in the air. Should she tell Mark about the last dream? It felt more personal than this "Skeleton Story" her brain made up, so maybe she should leave it to analyze by herself.

"Well at least you haven't had any new one's right? It's just the same two dreams every night," Mark said. "Right?"

"Yeah," Anna sighed. Why did she do that? She should have told him about the last one. But she couldn't… not yet. She had to figure it out for herself first.

"Well I'm sure they'll pass eventually though," Mark said calmly, "But you told it really well. You should write it down."

"I suck at writing," Anna muttered, "I'm better telling things orally."

"And your great at it," Mark retorted. They had finally reached their destination and the boy put the car into park. Like a gentleman, he got out of the car and went around to Anna's side as she rolled her eyes. With a flourish he opened the door and bowed exaggeratedly, "We have arrived milady."

Anna snickered and climbed out. She gave him a peck on the cheek and hugged him. "You're adorable. Thanks for bringing me home Roman."

"No problem Charmer," Mark said, "Do I need to pick you up for school tomorrow?"

"Probably. But I'll ask and check. I think Dad said he needed to use the other car to go his interview and Mom has to talk to the twin's principal. Jillian got in another fight today."

"Ok. Just let me know," with that Mark got back into his car, "Um…I'd walk you to the door but your mom scares me."

"Just go," Anna laughed, "Bye! Love ya."

"See you tomorrow," Mark waved goodbye as he pulled away and drove off.

Anna hurried inside. After all, she had both Halloween _and_ her sixteenth birthday to prepare for.


	4. Chapter 4: Awake

**_I do not own the Nightmare Before Christmas. Anne is the only character I'll will hold a copywrite to._**

 ** _I've decided to attempt to keep to an update schedule of one chapter every week, posted either Wednesday or Saturday to give me some writer's block elbow room._**

 ** _I'm starting to get into the rythmn of how I want this story to go so there likely won't many super long chapters like the previous ones (maybe a few every once in a while), most will be about this length or shorter depending on what's happening._**

 ** _Just a friendly warning for this chapter. You're going to want to make assumptions after reading this. DON'T. Things are likely not how you think they are. I would still love to hear your theories though. Reviews are a writer's fuel._**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Awake**

 _When I was five my family was in an accident. My parents were both fine, which is lucky since my mom was pregnant with the twins at the time. They were okay though. But I was unbuckled and climbing over the backseat to get a bottle of water when another car t-boned us._

 _Mom and I were admitted to the hospital. My mother was released soon but I had a concussion, so that led to some tests._

 _That's when they found the crystals in my brain._

 _My amygdalae were slowly calcifying because of a genetic disease I had, completely blocking my flight or fight response. We never would have found it if I hadn't needed an MRI._

 _Lovely opportunity for my parents to break the news that I was adopted, because the disease didn't come from either of them. I suppose I would have been mad if I was any older, but come on! I was six. It never even really mattered to me anyway. They were my parents. My real parents._

 _And I_ _ **was**_ _their real daughter…_

 _The disease was more a disorder than anything. It wasn't really dangerous to me directly. Sure I made my father bald at 40 and my mom start dying her hair at 38 due to my hair-raising antics. Hair-raising? Heh? Never mind._

 _But to give them credit, it's very hard to protect a kid who's literally not able to be afraid of anything. Even discipline. But they learned how to do it. Not sure how exactly, but they had to put extra effort into teaching me what was safe and what wasn't. Other times I had to figure it out myself from a broken arm or bruised eye._

 _So here's a question I pose to myself (or anyone else who shouldn't be reading this diary)._

 _How does someone who hasn't felt fear in over ten years react to a sudden overflow of absolute irrational terror and panic? Like a giant water dam breaking and pouring into a tiny glass?_

 _Not well._

* * *

She couldn't even remember what happened. It was like waking up from a bad dream over and over and over again until she could no longer remember if there was a reality to wake up to in the first place.

This time she woke up again when her foot crashed against a tree root that was concealed under a wet pile of dull red and orange leaves. She shouted half in surprise and half in pain as she tumbled down the side of a short hill. It wasn't a very fast trip but it was enough to add to her panic before she came to a gradual stop at the bottom.

Anna cried harder as she pulled herself over to the nearest tree and propped up against it. She pulled her knees close and tried to bury her head in her arms as she sobbed. That didn't do much since she _could see around the bones in her arm._ Her foot hurt badly too. She wasn't sure if she could walk…or run… But she didn't want to check it. That would require looking.

What was happening? What happened to her? She wasn't herself anymore! This wasn't her. She didn't feel like herself. Her hands were not her hands.

She tried to remember what had happened.

 _What happened?!_

She was in a graveyard. Why was she laying in a graveyard?

There was a tombstone with her name on it.

That made her confused. Everything made her confused.

Then there was a voice that was somehow familiar.

Anna looked up to see _something._ She couldn't put what she was seeing to words before but she could now.

A skeleton. A walking, talking, _alive_ skeleton.

" _Like me?_ Just like my dreams…." She thought.

….What dreams?

" _It's you."_ She wasn't sure if she had actually said that.

She squeezed her eyes shut so hard that a slight creaking sound was heard.

It…He looked surprised to see her. Maybe. He didn't feel dangerous but at the same time she was just terrified. She didn't know why.

" _He asked my name. I don't remember if he told me his. I didn't speak. What was my name?"_ she thought.

What was her name?

What was her name?

" _What was my name?!"_

Something she didn't think she could ever explain can up from deep inside her. From her soul. From the deepest part of her being. But she pushed it down before she exploded.

She needed to remember!

Anna.

" _My name was Anna. My name is Anna Grisholme. I'm sixteen now. My birthday is on Halloween. I have a brother and sister. My favorite color is purple. I can't feel fear. I can't. I can't…feel fear."_

" _Then I can't be Anna. I'm afraid. Anna isn't afraid so I can't be her."_

She wept harder. _"Then who am I?"_

"I am Annalise Grisholme," she sniffled before she realized she had even said anything. She wasn't sure that was the truth but it felt right so she tried again, "I am Anna. I am Annalise Grisholme."

Her voice was shaky and didn't quite feel like her own. It was a little hollow sounding. But it was still familiar. More familiar than the dark woods with the dizzying spiral patterned ground she was sitting on. Anna latched on to the inkling of familiarity and took a breath she didn't feel like she physically needed, her mind still reeling from the influx of emotion. The breath was helpful. Something she could control at least.

"My name is Anna." she murmured with a sob.

The skeleton had asked her what her name is but she couldn't remember if she answered.

She ran.

Anna just ran. Why? She didn't even remember standing up. One second she was looking up at a strange creature, the next she was running faster than she ever had before. She was stumbling and losing her balance the whole time. Everything felt off. She didn't know what she was running toward but she was suddenly in a forest. She never looked back to see if that Jack was chasing her.

Jack? How did she know what his name was? Did he tell her? Who is he?

"T-too many questions," she whispered, "Where am I?!"

She didn't get an answer.

She raised her head and stared at her hands. Bone. She was completely bone, not a hint of flesh anywhere. She had hair though, but it wasn't her long thick black hair. It was still black but it felt unevenly cropped short, with messy burnt ends.

She may have been wearing a dress before (before what?) but all that was left was a black charred rag that was barely holding itself together. The running hadn't helped.

She pulled her legs in closer, crying out at the pain the action caused. She forced herself to look. A couple bones on her ankle looked out of place but when she touched them, it just hurt more.

"Where am I?" She asked again. That exploding feeling was creeping its way up again.

"Where am I?" Louder.

"Please!" she cried, "I don't know where I am. I want to go home!" she moaned again.

She couldn't spare a moment to care about being a skeleton that's somehow alive. Not now. She just had to go home.

But where's home?

"I want to go home! I don't know where I am!" she screamed this time. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!"

That feeling inside finally broke.

A screamed ripped its way through the trees.

It wasn't a fearful scream. This was painful. Frustrated. She wanted to know what happened. Why couldn't she remember what she wanted to? Why was she afraid?

She was alone in a strange world where the sun was orange and had a face; where the dirt and dust naturally settled into an odd swirl pattern; where the cold air smelt lightly of rotten flesh, wet leaves, and pumpkin spice; where strange creatures suddenly showed up as if they weren't a figment of the human imagination. And where she was-

Anna just kept screaming long after she should've run out of breath but it just kept coming. And she didn't try stopping it. It was a horrible sound that held all of her pain and confusion.

All her sorrow.

She screeched louder than thought possible but her throat never got sore. She cried the whole time but she never felt a single tear. She had a broken heart but she didn't feel it pounding in her ears.

She dug her long pale white fingers into the moist dirt beneath her, ripping into it with fury.

Not once was she sure why exactly she was so scared or angry or sad all at once. Confusion was understandable, as was frustration.

It sounds unbelievable but she screamed for two straight hours without stopping. Easy to do when one doesn't need to breathe. It seemed so much shorter. Eventually, she couldn't hear herself anymore. She must have stopped sometime then, trailing off into silent sobs.

Never has silence been more deafening.

It was brighter. The sun was higher in the sky and at just the right angle to shin straight into her eyes with its dull orange light.

She squinted and exhaustedly reached up to feel around her eye only to find nothing but smooth bone. She didn't even have eyeballs. If she was completely a skeleton why should her face be able to move like muscle?

She shakily got up, using the tree as support, and winced when she put pressure on her injured foot. It would hurt to walk but she needed to do _something_ and walking seemed like a good start. Pain could be a good distraction.

She attempted to take a step only to misjudge how much effort it would take to move a fleshless lightweight leg and lost her balance. The nonexistent air got knocked out of her ribcage when she fell on her face.

A cough racked her chest and she whimpered. She was tempted to tell herself to stop being a baby but she wasn't sure she could take any kind of negative criticism from anyone, not even herself.

Somewhere in the rational part of her mind, two sides tore at her. One on hand, this all had to be a dream. On the other, it couldn't be a dream. Everything was too real and unreal all at the same time.

Anna let herself cry a little as she pushed herself up to her knees. Using another tree as support she managed to stand up again, a little more steadily. Apparently, walking as a literal stick figure was similar to learning to roller skate for the first time.

She shut her eyes and shook her head before she could ask why she knew what roller skating was.

With that she started moving, stumbling from tree to tree as she slowly practiced walking. She wasn't sure where she was going. She just started walking, not caring that she was lost.

There were no markers in the forest to tell her where she was going. All she could do was attempt to go in a straight line, keeping the sun in more or less one place to her right.

A small crowd had gathered anxiously at the gate to the Hinterlands. They were waiting for Jack to come back with the new skeleton in hand. There wasn't a search party though. There were very few in town who were willing to go very deep into those dark woods.

The monster had run away like the hell hound themselves were snapping at their heels. Jack himself told them he was very surprised when the monster bolted away from him in the graveyard.

She seemed remarkably calm at first, even having a small conversation with him for a minute before Jack turned around to look toward the cemetery entrance where the small welcoming committee was approaching.

When Jack had turned around, the skeleton's was shaking and staring at nothing in particular. She did even seem to see the other monsters that were walking up. Then she ran, leaping over her tombstone and scrambling away madly.

Jack could sense that she wasn't afraid of anything in particular but nevertheless an intense fear suddenly washed over her and she didn't seem able to control it.

That led to the current, rather frustrating, situation of Jack searching the Hinterlands for the runaway.

After a while, the Mayor managed to convince most of the monsters to go wait back in town for news and as the early morning stretched on the crowd slowly shrank. Intense curiosity has its limit when monsters have spent a whole twenty-four hours jumping between time-zones scaring humans between sundown and midnight.

It wasn't long before only Dr. Finklestein, Sally, the Mayor, the Who, and the Head Witches were left waiting. The Wind was whistling through the branches helping Jack search the forest.

Sally stood up from her seat on the stone wall as Jack eventually emerged from the woods empty handed.

"No luck Jack?" the Mayor said.

Jack shook his head and leaned against the black-iron gate. "She doesn't want to be found. Not yet anyway."

"Oh, poor dear must be so confused." Helgamine said, dropping her witchy attitude for a split second.

"Most are," Jack noted.

A couple leaves rustled and twisted up into the air as the Wind picked them up and sent them flying.

" _I found her."_

"Splendid!" Jack said, standing straight, "Where is she?"

" _Making her way here from deep in the forest. The Hinterlands shifted around after she entered and so she's deeper than she may think. But she seems to have enough common sense now to keep walking in a straight line."_ The Wind paused for a moment, obviously wondering if it should mention something.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked.

"… _I would suggest you let her be and let her come into town on her own time. She seems able to center herself rather quickly, for a skeleton of course."_

Jack's lips quirked upward at the joking jab.

The Wind continued, _"However, she was very upset. I just heard her shrieking for the past two hours nonstop while we were searching. That's how I found her."_

"Valuable skill," Zeldabourne murmured quietly.

Everyone was straining very hard to hear the wind's quiet voice.

Jack thought quietly for a moment, weighing his options. "Is it safe for her to travel the woods by herself?"

" _She may have hurt her right foot but if you like I could watch and make sure no…undesirables…bother her."_

"Please do," Jack said shortly.

There was a dull rustle as the wind departed, though some of it stayed nearby, swaying the branches above them. Listening.

"What do we do now?" Sally asked. She didn't know if this was normal. After all, she had never witnessed a new arrival before. Was it common for someone to run off like that? Jack seemed incredibly bothered by it but everyone else looked mildly concerned and curious at most.

"Now?" Jack sighed, somehow sounding dramatic without even trying, "Now we wait. Back to town everyone."

"Humph," the Mayor grunted in agreement, "I supposed there's no point in waiting out here."

There was murmuring but the small group departed from the Hinterlands with little fuss.

Jack let the others walk ahead while he and Sally lagged behind.

"I sense a question on the tip of your tongue my dear," Jack prompted.

"Several actually," admitted Sally, "What was she like? I didn't get a good look at her."

Jack hesitated, "It isn't right for me to make assumptions about our new arrival when none of us even know her yet."

"But you have," Sally smirked. She whispered teasingly, "Don't worry Jack. I won't tell a soul."

Jack laughed, "Very well. She's young. Barely a woman but most definitely still a teenager. She appeared to have died in a fire. Rather violently too if she ended up here." Jack muttered the last sentence with a reserved air.

"What makes you say that?" Sally asked.

"A couple things. For one, her clothing was in burnt tatters and her bones were slightly darkened from soot. There also was distinct burnt smell in the air."

"I see. And the other thing?"

"What?"

"You said there were a couple things. A couple implies two doesn't it?" Sally pointed out.

"Hmm." Jack didn't answer immediately. When he did he took a sharp breath that he didn't need, "Sally…we are…ideas."

Sally looked at him confused.

Jack stalled realizing he was going to explain it badly no matter what he did. "We…exist as the symbols of human fear. And when someone dies…I believe that last single human fear someone has when they die makes them who they become if they are to come to Halloween Town."

"…Are you saying that girl is a skeleton because she died in a fire," Sally guessed. Leave it to Jack to over-complicate things. "Because she was burned to death and lost all her flesh?"

"Yes. I think I am," Jack said.

"But what about Helgamine?"

Helgamine was too far away to hear Jack and Sally's conversation clearly but she did glance back at them at the sound of her name.

"Helgamine told you how she died?" Jack said surprised. That kind of information was usually very private and not many were willing to reveal something like that to others, even after knowing them for years. Or centuries in a few cases. Then again, Helga wasn't one to care about secrets very much.

Jack learned that the hard way.

Sally nodded. "She said she was burned at a stake. Why isn't she a skeleton?"

Because she can't be. That's what Jack wanted to say.

Instead he responded, "She was killed because humans thought she was a witch, which she was by the way. How we died correlates to what we become."

"Oh," Sally said, "Do monsters often run away?"

"It happens often enough," Jack sighed, "Sometimes monsters are simply shocked and they can't move at all. Sometimes they're unconscious and I bring them to the witches or the doctor to look after. But others have been pleasant."

"What did I do when the Doctor first created me?" Sally asked genuinely interested. It was a very confusing time and she didn't remember much of it.

Jack chuckled, "From what I hear you actually hit the good doctor. After that you were mostly very curious."

"Oh dear," Sally giggled.

As they walked into town and everyone dispersed to their homes, Jack stopped to have a word with the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper looked confused and hesitant but nodded anyways and gave Jack a salute with his wing.

"What was that about?" Sally asked when Jack finally caught up with her.

"Just warning him about the new arrival. If she decides to come into town, he'll be the first person she'll see. I thought it fair to give him a heads up," Jack grinned and popped off his head for a second to toss his skull between his hands.

Sally rolled her eyes but cracked a smile as Jack put himself back together.

They walked the relatively short distance to Skellington Manor. There weren't as many monsters in town square as Sally expected.

Everyone was too tired to stay up waiting for a monster that _might_ show up that day.

Just as they reached the manor's porch steps, the Mayor swiftly jogged up to Jack.

"Jack, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course. I'll be inside shortly Sally."

Sally hesitated and gave the Mayor a strange look. But she nodded politely and turned heel to go into the large house, likely back to her own bed. Either that or to the library to read until she managed to doze off.

Once she was gone the Mayor turned to Jack so fast, his neck clicks skipped a beat as his face switched to the white/stressed side.

The two monsters stared at each other for a minute, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"What are you going to do Jack?!" the Mayor hissed.

"Mayor please! Lower your voice," Jack hissed back, "I'll figure out something." Jack sighed sharply and sat down on the steps, leaning his head in his hand as if to nurse a skullache.

"Surely you know what this means? By Halloween man! You're the one who told _me_ what this would mean. That new skeleton it's—."

"She," Jack corrected sharply. Everything about him seemed 'sharp' at the moment. His voice. His temperament. His worry. He stared at the cobblestone beneath his feet, seeing memories of times gone long by.

"She. She's your-," the Mayor flailed his arms a bit unnecessarily, almost hitting Jack's shoulder.

"I know!" Jack voice broke for a split second before he lowered his voice. There was a trace of guilt in his tone, "I know Shadix."

The Mayor was quiet. It was rare when someone used his real name, especially Jack.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked with some level of finality. "You made the law. Everyone will expecting _you_ for obvious reasons."

"But you can grant exceptions. I need time to figure things out. And I can't do that if I have to mentor her…immediately."

"Everyone will be suspicious that you're not following your own law. Even if I say you shouldn't. Especially if I say so…" the Mayor trialed off on that last part.

"Please Mayor."

The Mayor hesitated but nodded. His face was still his sad one. Or stressed, however one saw it.

"Everyone will find out eventually," the Mayor said, "And you haven't even told me the whole story!"

"Or Finklestein if that makes you feel better," Jack said.

"Marginally. However, my head isn't turning."

"Ah." Jack chuckled at the sarcasm, "Mayor, I just need…time."

"You've had nearly two thousand years Jack!" the Mayor said in panic.

"19 hundred at most," Jack said sullenly.

"With all due respect, _Your Majesty,_ " the Mayor said nervously. Even if he and Jack were friends, angering Jack was not a good move, "This is …uh… procrastination…is somewhat of a…coward's way out."

"And how will everyone react when I spring this on them without giving us all time to adjust, especially the girl? Not sure what I'm going to tell Sally."

Jack locked eyes with the Mayor's, but not for the first time the height different made it uncomfortable, even with Jack sitting down.

The Mayor made a displeased grunt but looked down submissively.

"It's your problem Jack. I'll help in whatever way I can."

Jack nodded gratefully and forced a grin that didn't quite reach his eye sockets.

"Thank you Mayor."

The Mayor mumbled a 'you're welcome' before straightening his top hat and turning away.

"Just be careful Jack," he said before departing down the street toward his house. "It might get worse the longer you try to hide."


	5. Chapter 5: Welcome

**Author's note: Warning for cursing in this chapter. I typically don't swear myself so I often feel the need to apologize for even the mildest of language. Just because my characters say something doesn't mean I do. Keep that in mind, please.**

 **And I'm really sorry for not updating like I should, on any of my stories (sorry FNAF: Warehouse fans). Like the other half-million writers on this site, I blame school. I love learning and I value my education; however, that doesn't mean I completely love all the work that goes into it.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Welcome**

The gatekeeper liked solitude. He didn't often socialize with the other monsters in town.

He liked his neighbors but it sometimes got tiring seeing the same faces (or lack of, in some cases) every day for multiple centuries. He was perfectly content with staying in his little shack reading a book.

Books were relatively plentiful in Halloweentown and it was pleasant to "meet" new beings through the stories. Granted, he wasn't actually talking to the characters, but still. It was like meeting new people whenever he wanted! There was an odd joy to living vicariously through fictional characters.

Such interesting people...

Heh… The irony…A bird who was a bookworm. Or was he a bookworm who was a bird? Did it matter?

He wasn't antisocial by any means, just simply not interested in talking about the same thing every day. That's not to say he didn't like a conversation when someone stopped by.

Thankfully, All Saints Days were always slow. It gave him time to catch up on his recent book before starting a new one he managed to snatch from the Real World. However, he couldn't concentrate on it properly.

Why? Because Jack had asked him to keep an eye out for the new arrival.

How exciting. Someone new. And he would get to meet her first if she came through the front gates.

He hadn't gone with the rest when the bell tolled. That would be deserting his post. But he did overhear some of the monsters when he let them back in.

A Skeleton. Personally, the gatekeeper was hoping for another Beast, like Glen, Sabine, or himself. However, a Skeleton was intriguing. There weren't many in town—

…

The gatekeeper stopped short at that thought.

Actually, it was strange…but as he thought about it, there weren't _any_ skeletons in town besides the Pumpkin King. How had he never thought about it? The Hanged-men weren't actually skeletons and couldn't function properly without the Hanging Tree for very long. It was hard to tell at times, but they were really made of painted wood. Living Puppets similar to Sally, which is why they got along with the Ragdoll so well.

The gatekeeper absent-mindedly reached up a shiny black foot to scratch his beak with a claw while flipping the page, pretending to read once again. He glanced outside and looked back down again.

He did a double take so fast his neck almost made him a Mayor copycat. That would be annoying to fix, never mind slightly painful. Broken necks tend to do that…

How long had _she_ been there?!

The new arrival was outside. She was standing so still and her stick-like form blended into the landscape so well that the gatekeeper almost didn't see her. She actually startled him ( _not_ scared of course!) well enough that he almost fell out of his chair.

He liked to lean back dangerously on two of the legs.

Thankfully for his Halloween Citizen pride, she wasn't standing right outside his window. He'd _never_ hear the end of it if an untrained newcomer managed a (little) shriek out of him.

She stood down the bridge-like path that lay between the graveyard and the town. She was pacing nervously and kept glancing toward the gate.

The humanoid bird monster frowned. His sharp bird eyes could see that she was limping, rather badly at that. Yet she trying to ignore it? Doesn't she know walking around like that is simply asking for it to get worse? After all, everyone knows dead people shouldn't feel pain so when they do, they should most definitely PAY ATTENTION TO IT! Honestly...

The gatekeeper watched, careful to keep himself out of sight.

The skeleton looked back toward the graveyard which housed the entrance to the Hinterlands she must have just come from. She then looked back at the town gates nervously, weighing her options.

She shuffled for a second then hesitantly turned around and started walking away. She only got a few steps before halting and looking over her shoulder at the feeling of someone watching.

The gatekeeper ducked, suddenly feeling inappropriately adolescent as if he was a child caught stealing candy. He cursed himself (sanely keeping any of his magic out of it—that would be a mess) and counted to three before peeking out again.

She hadn't seen him.

* * *

It took Anna a lot less time than she expected to calm herself down.

She was still freaking out, of course. After all, how would anyone react after waking up as something they knew they are not?

Whatever she was now, it wasn't human.

"Just breath," Anna muttered to herself as she continued to pace along the path. Physically, breathing didn't even seem to do anything. At all. Nothing is the slightest. But it was helping psychologically.

What was she supposed to do now? After walking for what seemed like hours through those strange woods, she managed she get her panic under control in time to realize that the weird orange sun was getting higher. She had been able to walk in a straight line just because she could keep the sun on one side of her, but it would be harder to tell whether or not she was going in circles if it got right above her. She could get completely turned around and not even realize it.

Whether by pure luck or God actually keeping an eye on her, just as she was starting to be concerned about the noises coming from the dark shadows in the trees behind her, she stumbled into a wrought iron gate. Painfully. Can bone bruise?

She hopped over the almost laughably short gate and hurriedly stumbled her way down the visible cobblestone path.

She didn't really take the time to look at the scenery but she did pass a weird hill. Was it a hill? It reminded her of the top of a frozen yogurt cone. What was frozen yogurt?

It wasn't long before a town came into view.

Such an odd macabre collection of shapes. It was all jam packed together to make a cartoonish mash up of creepy shadows dangerously balanced atop a hill surround by a circular canyon. There was a bridge of land that connected the hill to the surrounding landscape.

….Nope...

Anna squashed the itching impulse to investigate the town in lieu of her newfound paranoia. She needed to figure out how to deal with these new emotions before she made any potentially stupid decisions. Still, there was a weird _need_ she felt, an instinct telling her it was more dangerous to walk away.

Meanwhile, the bird-man watched her dilemma from afar.

When the skeleton made a couple more glances and stepped closer toward where the Hinterlands were, he decided that was enough.

Jack gave him clear instructions. "Let her come in on her own free will, but don't allow her to go back to the forest." There was more, but that was the gist.

Sneaking out the door that faced the town so she wouldn't see his movement, he quickly darted to the nearest wall, passing a dozing zombie band.

James, the sax player, cracked an eye open and looked at him wearily.

"What's digg'n birdy?"

"I'll dig you another grave if you keep calling me that," the gatekeeper murmured. With a single motion he jumped high up on the wall, shape shifting and shrinking down. He landed on the perch as a normal looking raven, complete with a distinctly less humanoid body, sharper beak, and pinprick beady eyes.

" _Caaww._ I'm going to ask you to move to another wall freaks. New arrival's here. It'd be best if town square was empty for a while." He flapped his wings with emphasis, lifting into the air about a foot before coming to rest back on the wall.

"What's with the wardrobe change?" Jimmy, the tall accordion player, asked with his baritone voice as he roughly nudged the bass player, Jim, awake.

"I need to get her into town and given how this morning went, Jack doesn't think she'd react well to monsters yet."

James scoffed then grinned in the friendly-yet-somehow-malicious way only a Halloween Spirit can, "Well the lady'd better learn."

The gatekeeper chittered in agreement. Taking a few second to make sure the band was moving out of sight, he flew off. He passed over the gates high in the air, but not before making a detour peck at Jack's study window insistently. He did not stay to check if he was noticed.

It took barely half a minute to fly to the new arrival.

Anna saw the shadow he cast on the ground and looked up in surprise. She hadn't seen a single animal since she'd woken up in that place. She stared at him for a moment. She seemed to be doing a lot of staring recently, not that she really had any past memories to compare an idea of "recently" to.

Her eye sockets followed him as he flew overhead.

The gatekeeper landed on a wall next to her and ruffled his feathers.

" _Caw!_ " he rasped.

Anna furrowed her brow. Animals usually didn't come close to people like that, especially wild birds.

She turned away, looking at him out the corner of her black eye socket, not that the gatekeeper could tell, and continued walking away from town.

She jumped when the raven suddenly flew in front of her and landing right where she was about to step. It looked at her with big emotionless eyes.

Anna frowned.

She couldn't deal with this now.

"Gah!" she shouted, throwing her arms up lightly, afraid of accidently throwing them out of her arm sockets and down the chasm on either side of the bridge, "Go away! Shoo!"

The bird looked very unimpressed somehow.

"Raaarh!" she yelled taking a step toward the weird bird in another attempt to scare it off.

The raven's chest puffed out sharply before deflating. Almost as if it was sighing in exasperation. Or disappointment.

Or both…

Anna didn't like the idea of being judged by a bird, of all things.

Anna was sure she was imagining it, among numerous other things, but she could almost see the bird smirk and roll its eyes at the same time. It was ridiculous, but of all the emotional and sanity-destroying things that she was suffering, an intelligent bird seemed the least of her problems.

"Leave me alone," Anna said, giving up much sooner than she wanted to. Her voice was dulled. She was so tired… And she still didn't know where to go. She didn't want to go back into those woods but the town she had found was suspicious. Too convenient. _Far_ tooconvenient. Especially after seeing that skeleton. Was that a whole town of them? Did she get kidnapped or something? Hallucinating?

She skirted around the raven.

It turned its head to watch her but didn't move its feet at first. When its neck could turn no more, it hopped around to face her as she passed.

"Stupid bird," Anna muttered but it came out as a shaky whimper much to her displeasure.

"I wouldn't go that way," a voice suddenly said from behind her.

The teenager jumped nearly two feet in the air clapping a bony hand over her mouth to stifle her cry.

She landed hard on her bad ankle and collapse to the ground with a pained shout. And a hissed swear.

Or two…

"O-oh dear..." the gatekeeper muttered in concern. He didn't mean to cause harm. That was never the intended outcome of a scare, intentional or otherwise.

Anna looked around for whoever had snuck up on her, her eyes darting around warily, though someone outside her own head would only see her sockets and brow arches moving. She zeroed in on the gatekeeper but he only tilted his head and squawked.

The skeleton was trembling slightly now, but forced down a breath and glared at the bird.

"Was that you?" she accused, _really_ not expected an answer.

She didn't get one.

"Didn't think so," Anna muttered and got to work picking herself up.

The gatekeeper watched warily. He tilted his head.

"What?" Anna said. "Did you just say something or not?" She winced and gripped her foot, looking shocked when a small bone fell off into her hand.

The raven hopped closer, eyeing the bone and suddenly puffing up his feathers anxiously. He swallowed.

Anna tested her weight on the foot and grunted in pain. She gingerly sat back down.

Okay, forget the gentle route. She was going to hurt herself much worse if she didn't get to town soon where someone could keep an eye on her.

"…Yes..."

The skeleton froze. Very slowly she pulled her eyes up from her foot to stare at him with wide eyes.

The gatekeeper—

"AAH!"

-braced himself…yeah. That's what he did. Not jump a foot in the air.

"Bird talk…you… I can't…no.. WHAT?!"

"Yes yes. I'm a talking bird. But let's get past that for a moment. Are you okay?"

"I WHAT no…bird—the heck going…I'm crazy! YOU'RE A FREAKING TALK—."

" _ **Shut up**_." He snarled with the terrifying, biting tone he spent decades perfecting.

Anna yelped then shut her mouth as the breaths she had been forcing herself to take caught in her non-existent throat. Her teeth clicked together sharply at the force of her jaw. That's fine; words didn't seem to be working for her anyway.

The gatekeeper waited for a second before speaking again. "Let's try that again. Forget I'm a bird for the moment. Are you okay?"

Anna blinked but answered hesitantly, "…It…kind of hurts…" She murmured out the words like a whimpering child.

"I would think so," the gatekeeper said, "Proper dismemberment takes practice."

That just added to Anna's confusion. "What are you? Um, w-who are you?"

"Never mind that! Where do you think you're going?"

The skeleton looked at him with squinted eyes as if she wasn't sure if she was actually talking to a bird.

"I don't…know…," she admitted slowly, "Home I think?"

Well, that was somewhat depressing.

"Well then you're going the wrong way," the gatekeeper pointed out. "The town's this way." He gestured over his shoulder with his beak.

The skeleton looked behind the talking bird dubiously.

"That's…home? There?" Anna asked, nodding toward the macabre looking collection of structures.

"It can be if you'd like," the gatekeeper said even though the skeleton really didn't have much choice.

"And _you_ live there." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. And there's someone who could help with that pesky little appendage of yours. It hurts, doesn't it? Come with me."

The skeleton shifted and clicked her teeth together again. "Well I don't know what else to do," she whispered.

"Would it help if you got some answers? I might have some if you're willing to hear them," the gatekeeper said. He flew up onto a rock so that he was eye level to her.

The skeleton crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously. "I-is t-there a particular r-reason I should listen to a talking crow?"

"Raven," the gatekeeper corrected a little snappishly, "And I don't see anyone else around here."

"I saw someone else earlier," Anna said reservedly, words now working properly, "A-and just because I don't see anyone else doesn't mean I should just trust you. I usually don't talk to strangers or animals, and you're both."

"Doesn't change the fact that I have answers," the gatekeeper pointed out, "You can still decide whether to trust me or not after you hear what I say." He held up a wing like a finger. "However. There are some other people who would like to meet you and they'll have better answers than I can give."

The skeleton turned toward him, "I don't know if this is some kind of trick."

"Don't worry. The treats come in equal quantities of the tricks," the gatekeeper joked.

The skeleton pursed their lips, not understand the joke, "I can't know if you're…going to eat me…or something."

The gatekeeper couldn't help it. He laughed. And he laughed hard.

"O-oh! That's a good one!" he coughed, "Miss, you're more likely to eat _me_ on any given day."

"Sounds feathery," Anna muttered.

"It would be. No offense but you're not exactly appetizing yourself, being all bone. I'd rather stick to mealworm pie."

Anna grimaced, "You said you had answers. Where am I? This doesn't feel like something I could just come up with completely in my mind."

"You're not hallucinating. This is real. Somewhat. And this place is called Halloweentown."

"Hallow-?" Anna shook her head.

"I promise; someone will have more answers if you come back to town with me."

"I still feel like this is a trap of some kind." The skeleton glanced at the bone in her hand.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But I assure you, you can leave anytime." He looked at her pointedly. "But not until after we get a look that foot of yours looked at. Can you walk Miss?"

"Yes…sir…" Anna said and slowly got to her feet using the rock as support. The way the raven had spoken struck a chord with her.

She thought that it would be easy for someone who wished her ill will to _say_ she could leave whenever she wanted; however, the fact that the bird had set a boundary of "not until after we get a look at that foot" had added a sense of truth. Rather backward logic but it made sense to her.

She accidentally dropped the bone from her foot.

"Pick that up," the bird monster said not bothering to be polite in that instance. It was important. He gestured to the bone that was knocked off her ankle. "You need it."

Anna didn't seem to like being told what to do but she complied, gripping the small piece in her hand. She tried very hard not think about what exactly it was she was holding. At least it wasn't her jawbone, though perhaps that would hurt less.

It was slow but the gatekeeper flew with Anna toward to the town. He flew in circles in the air in front of her to keep himself moving, all the while answering some questions she had.

"Who are you?" Anna asked.

"I'm the gatekeeper of the town. I let people in and out when they want and keep track of who might be outside."

"That's how you found me?"

"Well, my post is that little shack right there," the Raven flew ahead to land on the guard booth for a second before coming back.

"Oh. H-how did I get here?"

"Er…that question's a little more complicated. Someone else should answer that in town," he deflected.

Anna frowned, "I'll h-hold you to that."

The gatekeeper noticed she was still nervous and confused. He waited for her next question.

They didn't speak again until they were almost at the gates.

"I don't know how I got here but….when I woke up…"

"Yes?"

"There was…someone else."

"That'd be Jack. He went to find you earlier," the gatekeeper explained.

"Jack. He's a….a…"

"Skeleton?" the gatekeeper prompted.

Anna looked at him. "And what am I?"

"A skeleton. You're a Skeleton monster."

"A monster?" Anna's eye sockets widened.

"We're all monsters here Miss."

"…." Anna was completely silent as she tried to process what that meant, "I don't understand."

"We're here!" the gatekeeper said enthusiastically when they stood right before the gate, not hearing Anna's last mumble. "Welcome to Halloweentown!"

Anna jumped back when the wrought iron gate rose with a clanking sound.

She looked over to the guard booth the bird had pointed out earlier to see the little raven standing on top of a lever he used to raise the gate. His weight pushed it down.

"Well? Come on then," the gatekeeper said, flying out the booth's window and toward the strange fountain in the center of the town square.

Anna stared after him before steeling herself and ducking under the half-opened gate.

That was weird. Why was it his job if he could only open it halfway all the time because of his weight? Surely, they would put someone much larger in charge of a job like that.

Anna limped toward the fountain, tripping over badly paved cobblestone a few times. Stupid unwieldy-near-weightless body.

The first thing that struck her was just how small the fountain was. The pool wall barely came up to the middle of her shin and she could reach the top of the statue with her hand. Actually, everything seemed out of proportion to her. Even the bird seemed smaller that he should be.

The raven, Anna was feeling the inclination to give him a name, squawked loudly to get her attention, his loud, spine-tingling call obnoxious in the silent town.

Anna froze, thinking someone was going to come out of the houses. No one did. She wasn't sure whether or not she preferred if no one showed up. It was unsettling. The quietness.

" _CAW!"_ the bird 'shouted' again, more insistently this time. He hopped on the rim of the fountain harshly, his sharp little talons making a sharp clicking sound on the stone. "Come. Here, please. Caw."

He cringed. Dang it. He hoped his transformation would be slower and let him keep his voice longer. But he was tired from scaring all night. He didn't have enough power to keep his voice intact. The timing was terrible. He needed to tell the skeleton what to do. Where the heck was Jack?

Anna tilted her head in confusion but a quick glance around and she was sitting herself down on the edge of the fountain, wondering what that weird bird was going to do next.

" _I can't believe I'm taking orders from a bird,"_ she thought.

However, all he did after making sure she was watching him was lean down and peck some glowing green water.

She tilted her head, confused and in physical pain, but no longer overly nervous.

The gatekeeper noticed this, pleased that he wasn't sensing much of an undercurrent of panic from her.

"You thirsty. Have drink."

"Um… are you alright?" the girl asked, the bird's suddenly broken English confusing her further.

He tried to say "fine" but it came out as a screechy rasp that just worsened the bewilderment.

There goes his voice.

Now if only he could get her to take care of her ankle before anyone came out and got too excited about seeing her.

He couldn't blame anyone if they got enthusiastic about meeting the new monster. New arrivals were few and _very_ far between. In fact, the gatekeeper himself was practically bursting at the seams trying to resist introducing himself properly.

It was too late for that anyway. He could say bye-bye to his voice until he got some proper rest.

She looked at the water with a lost expression. She didn't understand that he wanted her to drink the fountain water. The spell the witches put on it gave it magic healing properties. It would likely be better for her to splash some water on her foot but he wasn't sure how to mime or tell her that without tipping the skeleton's fragile state of calm. Or tipping himself into the water.

He hopped again and bent down to drink an exaggerated gulp of the slightly slimy water.

"I'm…not thirsty…" Anna murmured, still trying to wrap her head around…everything. But for the moment she was focusing on the sentient bird who suddenly was unable to say anything she could understand. Was he messing with her? Testing her?

The bird pecked the water again.

However, Anna wasn't sure about drinking anything that glowed. "Seriously. I think I'm fine."

The bird let out a noise that sounded somewhat like a groan and looked at her.

Anna frowned again. She didn't like that look. She didn't know what it meant but-

 _SNAP!_

Before Anna even had a moment to process it, the raven had jumped up and flown over her head before dive bombing straight into the ground. Hard.

The skeleton surged to her feet in horror (yet another strange emotion for her). She didn't get far as her balance caught up and she stumbled.

The bird just _killed_ itself! He broke his own neck! What even…

Then much to a very surprised Anna's confusion, the bird flopped around for a second before scrambling to his feet. His head hung from an obviously fatal angle. Almost upside down.

Anna's eye sockets were almost impossibly wide as the black bird sloppily flew up and dived again, straight into the fountain.

"Wait don't…" the word tumbled out as Anna turned toward the fountain to rescue the bird and tripped. She fell against the fountain wall and clacked her chin against the stone painfully.

She pulled herself up with a wince and got a front row seat to watch the water immediately around the floundering bird glow brighter and with a silver hue before there was a sick crackling sound as the raven's neck knit itself back together.

All the while the bird only looked excessively annoyed. Not in pain.

Anna rubbed her chin and blinked as the bird stared at her pointedly.

"Do you want me to help you out?" Anna whispered, still horrified by the display.

The bird nodded.

"Er. Okay. That was…very strange." Anna commented as she gingerly reached into the water and pulled out a waterlogged ball of blueish-black fluff. "I take it you were trying to tell me the water will make my foot better?"

The raven didn't even give her a response. Instead, it hopped off the wall, completely fine, and began walking toward the gate, trailing water and heavy wings behind him. He stared sullenly ahead as if she had purposely made him break his own neck and get wet.

Where did he leave his dang book?

"Something I said?" Anna said. Should she follow him?

"Hee hee. _That_ was a show," a voice laughed behind her.

Anna shuddered and glanced up, _way_ up, to see the same skeleton she ran from earlier. She tried to scramble to her feet, the slight dredges of panic from before rising to the surface.

Quickly Jack leapt down from the top of the fountain where he had been perching without the bird or Anna's notice and squatted to her level.

"Alright that enough miss!" Jack said sternly. "I'm not going to hurt you." He put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. "Please. Let me help."

"Y-you," Anna stuttered. When the heck did she get a stupid stutter?! She swallowed, "What are you? Where I'm I? What just happened?"

Wait. Why was she asking? Didn't the bird already answer those questions?

"If you please, one question at a time," Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal vial. Keeping one hand on her shoulder lightly, he reached over her and dipped the vial into the water, filling it.

Anna swallowed, her eyes wide, "What…what happened to me?"

Jack didn't answer immediately, "Here." He handed her the vial. "Did you lose anything?"

"I don't have anything." Great. She was confused again.

"Any bone pieces. Did anything fall or break off," Jack explained, not unkindly.

Anna hesitated, then slowly opened her hand to show the other skeleton the bone that got knocked off her ankle.

Jack pointed to a place on her foot and gestured for her to place it there, "Good. Now pour the water over it. It might sting a little. I'm not really sure."

"Sting" was an understatement. It burned, like a cooling burn. But it hurt enough that Anna whined a little. After a second the burn subsided along with the previous pain.

"Are you alright young lady?" Jack asked.

Anna nodded and bit her lip, making scratching noises with her teeth, "Thank you…sir. My question?"

Jack sighed, "First, what's your name?"

"…Anna. Annalise Grisholme," she muttered, dread filling something where her heart should have been, "I'm…I'm not alive anymore am I?"

"No," Jack admitted, "I suspect you knew that already."

"I was walking…and…I had a lot of time to think," Anna said. "And it…it made the most sense…."

"Well!" Jack said, suddenly standing up, "No use moping about it Miss Grisholme. I'll introduce myself now if that's alright."

Anna blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden switch in the personality of this weird man…skeleton. "O-okay?"

"My name is Jack Skellington and it's a pleasure making your acquaintance Ms. Grisholme." He offered his hand like a gentleman and shook her hand politely.

Anna half expected him to kiss it…That would be weird.

"Just Anna is fine," Anna said, "Where is this place. T-this isn't...Heaven. Right?"

Please let it not be…

Jack laughed, "I should hope not. Though I supposed to some it is a Heaven of sorts. But no Ms. Anna. This is another place for very special people when they die. A second chance. Of sorts."

"Oh," she looked down in utter disappointment. Then what did she do wrong?

"Nothing."

"…Did I say that out loud?" she whispered.

"Yes. But you needn't worry my dear! You did absolutely nothing wrong. And if Heaven is where you were expecting to go, then you'll be pleased to know you will go there eventually. Just not yet. However, there really isn't reason to rush. This is a rather splendid place. I'm sure you'll grow to like it here."

"What makes you so sure?" It may have been a rude thing to say, but Anna was too tired to bring herself to care.

"You wouldn't be here otherwise dear."

"Ah."

Jack waited for a minute, but when it seemed she had nothing more to say-for the moment at least-he decided it was best to move on.

"You must be tired, Miss Anna."

"Maybe. Is that possible?"

"Very. Let's find you somewhere to rest shall we?"

The skeleton man offered the skeleton girl a long bony hand and lifted her to her feet.

After having a moment to calm down, Anna seemed to remember how difficult it was to judge the effort needed to move a near weightless body.

"Woah!" she gasped as she pitched forward from the momentum. Her feet gave out from under her and she fell.

Luckily, Jack expected this and caught her by the armpits.

"Easy there. Easy there. Don't try so hard." He held her up as she struggled to put her legs underneath herself again.

"I-I swear….I c-could've sworn I just spent a few hours walking around. I-I had this down."

Jack chuckled. "Word of advice? Try not to think too much. And give yourself time to adjust. I'm sure you'll remember after a bit of rest. Take it slow. There you are! Excellent!"

She wobbled a bit but otherwise standing rather well.

"One step at a time now, miss. Follow me."

"O-okay."

"Splendid job! Keep going."

She was walking again, though now frustrated as to why it was harder than before. She gripped Jack's arm tightly, feeling the bone underneath his clothing.

She didn't know this creature. This man. She didn't want to trust him very quickly. But at that moment she didn't have anything else to lean on. Literally.

After making sure she could walk in a straight line without much thought, she let her focus shift.

"Where are we going Mr. Skellington?"

"Just Jack, please. And we are going to the witches' shop."

"Witches?!"

Jack didn't seem to notice her concern and continued. "Yes. As I recall, they have an extra room I feel they would be willing to let you stay in for the time being. At least, until we can figure out your permanent accommodations."

"Uh okay. What would permanent accommodations be?"

"Well, most likely someone would offer to let you haunt with them. Roommates, so to speak. Later on, we may actually build you a house of your own if you wish. After you've grown accustomed."

"Haunt?"

"Pardon?"

"You said 'haunt'. What did you mean?"

"Well, we can't exactly 'live' anywhere now can we?" Jack grinned.

Could he do anything _but_ grin?

"I-I'm still not entirely sure…"

"Sure about what?"

"…This isn't a _dream?_ "

Jack was silent for a long moment as they turned off the main street and down a cul-de-sac.

Anna feared she had angered him. Such a bizarre feeling. Fear. There was something horribly unfamiliar about it, but the longer she was awake the more…understandable it felt.

"You needn't be so worried Ms. Anna."

The teenager blinked and glanced downward in embarrassment.

"This isn't a dream. And neither of us can change that fact I'm afraid. However, I think you might feel better adjusted after some rest. I understand you must be exhausted. Speaking of, here we are!"

Jack stopped in front of a two story building so suddenly that Anna accidently walked a few steps ahead of him before she could follow his lead.

She found herself edging behind him as he strutted up to the door and opened it without even knocking.

"Wait! Shouldn't you knock?" Anna gaped at him.

Jack laughed –a strange, somewhat pitchy cackle that seemed very characteristic of a skeleton—and shook his head.

"My friend, if everyone knocked before walking into a store we'd never get anything done!"

…Word to live by…or, rather, "haunt."

It was then Anna noticed the wooden sign hanging from a rod above their heads and the " _WE'RE CLOSED! GO AWAY AND TAKE YOUR NONSENSE WITH YOU!"_ sign hanging from the door.

Jack held the door opened for her and closed it once they were both through. A tiny bell rang above the door.

"Ow." Anna hissed as her skull lightly bonked against the door frame. It appeared she was a bit too tall for the room. That was new and bizarre.

"Are you alright?"

"Ye-," Anna cut off as she got a look at Jack. He was taller than her! He was slouched to keep his head from brushing the ceiling, by habit apparently, as there was actually just enough room for both of them to stand straight without a problem. His stance was obviously precautionary and it spoke about many other (painful) encounters with shorter things. It was…funny.

Jack looked surprised at her involuntary snort of amusement and cracked a knowing smirk to put her at ease when she straightened in mortification.

"Jack! Can't you bloody read the damn sign!? Wha-." The creaky female voice stalled as the owner entered from behind a curtain that separated the store front from the rest of the house in the back.

The tiny witch (in Anna's eyes) stared for a moment, then turned on her heel and shouted into the house with a voice disproportionate of her stature.

"Helga! Jack brought the newcomer! Get the pot! We need to get dinner started _now_! We have all the ingredients!"

"What?!" Anna squeaked as she jumped behind Jack in panic. Was the witch speaking of her?!

The two monsters stared at her for a long moment.

Then they both burst into raucous laughter.

…

Anna wasn't having the best of days.


	6. Chapter 6: Cider

**Chapter 6**

 **Cider**

* * *

After assuring Anna that they weren't going to eat her, the witches put both skeletons to work. They rummaged through the store and the house looking for something that would fit the dirty young skeleton.

Anna didn't know where she was supposed to look, so resigned herself to leaning awkwardly on the counter with the cash register. She was mostly silent, resisting the three monsters' attempts to hold a conversation with her.

"Come with me dear," Helgamine said. She took the teen's boney hand without warning and pulled her behind the curtain. "We'll find you something. For now at least. Don't worry, skelly. We'll get Harlequin to fix up something just for you as soon as possible!"

Anna complied, still fearful of her new surroundings.

She glanced back to where Jack was speaking with the little witch. Just as she turned her head to watch where she was going, a doorframe appeared.

Anna clacked her skull against it before she could duck.

"OW!"

"Watch your skull there, sweetie," Helgamine cackled a moment too late.

Anna scowled as they entered a small kitchen with a set of stairs on the left and a hallway going into the rest of the house across from them.

"Sit," Helga ordered, making Anna cringe at the clipped tone. The witch pointed to a chair that was much too small for Anna. Not checking if Anna listened, the witch went to the counter by the sink and brought back a black pitcher. She set it on the table and poured a mug. She looked up and eyed Anna who was staring at the chair.

"Sit on the table if you must, but at least put your feet up. You look about ready to fall over, skelly!"

This time Anna sat.

Helga handed her the mug.

"What is it?" Anna asked. She stared at the liquid suspiciously with one squinted eye.

"Ooh! More than two words. I believe we're making some progress here, dearie," the witch laughed, "It's just rotted apple cider, sweetie."

There was a crash from the store behind the curtain, followed by vague cursing and a questioning tone from Jack. High-pitched cackles stifled it.

Helga rolled her eyes and sharply set her own mug down. She went back to the store to see what broke, leaving Anna alone.

Anna took the opportunity to study where she was.

It certainly didn't look like a common kitchen. Every straight line Anna could see was purposely slanted to give an off balanced feel to the room, and the color scheme had muted grays of various tints. The thick table she gingerly sat on (while avoiding all the weird things scattered about) was very well used with decades old stains and marks from its use as a cutting surface.

A large cauldron sat on the floor at one end. It was big enough for Anna to curl up inside without any problem if she wanted to. A step stool sat beside it.

Bundles of dried plants hung by the windows and dozens of jars with strange labels lined the shelves. There were likely more things in the closed cabinets.

There was a huge refrigerator looking thing in one corner made of aged wood with a large lock on the massive door.

Anna looked up sharply.

"Well, _that_ was a waste of time," Zeldabourne complained as the two witches and skeleton man came into the kitchen.

Anna shrunk back from them a bit and stared, still put off by their appearances.

"I don't suppose Sally would oppose to letting her borrow something?" Helgamine suggested.

Jack laughed happily, "Why didn't I think of that?! Will you be alright, Anna? I have to go home for a moment."

Anna tilted her head, wondering why Jack was asking _her_ if it was okay to leave. "Sure. I guess."

"Excellent." Then he was gone, the curtain waving behind him and the little bell signaling the opening and closing of the shop door.

Anna tried to stand but winced and groaned.

"Oh. A little unsteady there, dear?" Zeldabourne asked, "Here. Finish the cider, and I'll show you your room." The short witch picked up the mug, ignoring the glare her sister gave her as she slipped something in and handed it to the skeleton girl.

"I feel like I've been asleep for ages," Anna muttered, taking a sip. She didn't want to go back to sleep. It was…dark.

The drink was tangy, and a little bitter but she liked it.

"I'm sure you won't have any problems," Zelda assured.

" _I'll_ take that," Helga tersely said as Anna set the mug down.

Anna hesitantly followed the shorter witch up the creaky stairs, trying to look around curiously.

Helgamine stayed downstairs, slightly jumping when Jack popped in a few minutes later, a bundle of cream colored fabric in his hand. He looked at Helga questioningly.

"Upstairs," she said just as Zelda peeked down the stairs, her eyes zoning in on the nightdress.

"Give it here, please," she said, and Jack complied before she was even finished. She darted back up the stairs.

Jack sat down and waited with the other witch.

"Cider, Jack?" Helgamine said, offering the skeleton the jug and another cup. "Zel didn't put any nightshade in this one."

"Please," the Pumpkin King said. He crossed his legs to make himself fit better in one of the small chairs the witches had in their kitchen.

"She seems rather skittish to be a Halloween Spirit," Helgamine casually mentioned while staring into her mug of cider.

Jack coughed as he took a sip and looked at the witch sideways. "She's not the worst new arrival I've seen. She'll be okay. As I recall, you were rather nervous when I found you. Took my head off!"

"Hmmph. I don't remember." She didn't, but the idea of her attacking her king made her stare more intently at her drink in embarrassment.

Jack shrugged as Zeldabourne came down the stairs. Almost no one ever remembered when they first came to Halloween.

He stood up to greet the shorter witch.

"I take it she's sleeping now?"

"Out like a light Jack," Zelda nodded, waving around a corked bottle in front of her. "Poor girl's as jumpy as the Mayor."

"Was it necessary to give her a sleeping spell?" Helga said, crossing her arms.

"I would rather her properly rested and calmed before meeting everyone else," Jack explained.

"Well, she'll be asleep for exactly," Zelda strained to glance at a clock on the wall, "Ten hours."

"Splendid. That should be plenty of time to plan a proper welcome for tonight!"

The witches looked at each other.

"Uh, Jack?"

"Everyone's still sleeping off last night."

"Is it wise to throw another party?"

"While I agree the sooner the better for a new arrival, I don't remember the last time someone came immediately after Halloween. Everyone's tired."

Jack grinned, "It doesn't need to be a big ordeal. We'll keep it to introductions and such. Something simple."

As if anything Jack planned could be "simple."

Jack clapped his hands together, "Now, before I leave. First impressions?"

"She's…young," Helgamine said, glancing toward the stairs. "She seems to do certain things by nature. She managed to avoid all the creaky steps upstairs without even trying. Appears to be a habit. She has potential."

Zelda chuckled, "She was frustrated trying to put on Sally's night dress. Make sure you thank Sally for letting the girl borrow it. If she weren't so drained, she would have had much more patience than now. Besides that, I think she'll fit in quite nicely."

"Of course I'll thank Sally," Jack assured. "Anna will need clothing of her own soon. A job I'm sure Harlequin will jump at."

"That's what I said. Well, we'll take care of her until someone else can give her lodging," Helgamine said with a stifled yawn.

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, _Jack,_ " both witches said at the same time before glaring at each other.

The skeleton man chuckled. His eyes darted up the stairs again to where the guest room was, thankful that the witches couldn't see the concern in his eyes—a positive aspect of not having any.

"We'll be at the Welcoming, of course."

"Then I'll see you for preparation this afternoon! Horrid nightmares," Jack said with a polite nod as he left.

The witches waved goodbye.

They waited a moment, aware that Jack could still be listening without either of them knowing.

After a minute of silence, they shared a look.

"He's still dreamy…" Zeldabourne sighed. "He just makes my flesh crawl."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Let it go, Zeldabourne…" she said warningly.

"I knooow."

"Are you as curious as I am, sister?" Helgamine muttered tiredly.

"About why our king didn't even mention how he plans to mentor our new arrival?" Zelda answered.

"Exactly."

"I wonder if the girl knows how important he is."

"I doubt it," Helga chuckled.

"She'll know soon enough."

"It's a little odd. I would think Jack would be bounding off the walls in excitement because of a skeleton newcomer! He so loves teaching the young ones. An apprentice is perfect for him."

Zelda scoffed, "Well I'm not the ruler of Halloween, so I say we trust Jack and get some sleep before my feet fall off."

"First your teeth, now your feet?" Helga jabbed with a sly smirk.

The shorter witch sneered at her as she left to her room, grabbing her broom as she went. "You are so lucky I was in a forgiving mood that day."

* * *

Several hours later while Anna continued to sleep off the potion, the town was once again bustling with activity.

"Town Meeting! Welcome Party for the New Arrival!" came the muffled shout of the Mayor outside as he drove around town announcing the news and waking everyone up.

Sally hadn't slept as much as she planned to. She was too excited about the new arrival.

Perhaps "excited" isn't quite the right word. More like "anxious."

She only caught a glance, but she was almost certain the skeleton was the same girl from her vision. It was sad, knowing that at that moment in the Real World the boy from her vision was devastated and all alone while the girl was with them.

She knew it was silly to be so heartbroken about it. She didn't even know them!

Although, she supposed she was going to get to know the girl very well. It was a little premature, but Sally was hoping to be friends with her eventually. Maybe after she's not running away from them.

She wondered if it would be a good idea to tell the girl about the vision. Not for a while, she reasoned.

A crash made her head snap up.

She smoothed her dress and pulled on her last shoe before peeking out her door.

"Jack?"

She jerked back suddenly to avoid being run over by her lover.

"Oh, sorry Sally!" Jack said catching her arm to make sure she didn't fall.

"Need another of my nightgowns?" she said with a playful smile, reminding Jack of how he burst into her room without warning, saying he needed a dress or nightgown, and ran out after she pointed to one on her chair before she could ask him for his reasons.

She was left blinking in confusion while staring at the empty chair, wondering if she imagined that and if Jack needed the nightgown for himself…

Jack rubbed the back of his skull in embarrassment. "I should have knocked."

Sally giggled, "Oh, Jack. At least I was decent."

Jack looked more embarrassed and froze in pleasant surprise as Sally kissed him.

"Hmm. Was that for anything in particular?" He asked with a smile.

Sally shrugged, "For being a good King and caring for your citizens. I'm assuming you took my clothes for the girl. If not, we need to have a different conversation." She gave him a mock stern look.

Jack snorted. "Nothing else would have fit her, besides _my_ clothing. And I don't think she would appreciate the complexities of pants if she could barely walk without falling."

Sally burst out laughing at the image of someone as noodle-legged yet graceful looking as Jack struggling with putting on pants.

"Oh dear. I really shouldn't laugh," she snickered guiltily, leaning on Jack. "I feel sorry for her."

"Hopefully she has a sense of humor. Until we know, I suggest we avoid mentioning ' _pants_ ' around her."

The couple was silent for a moment before they lost their composure and broke down into giggles again like hyper children.

Jack most certainly had a sweet tooth, but perhaps he could have been a little more mindful of just how many candies the monster children offered him. And how many he shared with Sally.

"Don't do this to me!" Sally complained, smacking Jack on the shoulder. "I can't think of anything else now!"

"What? Pants?"

"Jack!"

"Sorry," Jack cackled, proving he was anything but.

Sally ebbed her giggles. "What were you doing a minute ago? I heard something break."

"I may or may not have knocked over my lamp looking for something in my study," Jack admitted.

"What?"

"…Nothing important," Jack lied, "I was looking for another crystal vial. I gave the newcomer one. And I'm afraid she might have lost it. She wasn't exactly concentrating on what she might have been holding in her hands."

"It may be by the fountain still," Sally suggested, "I saw you use it there."

Jack shrugged, his stick figure shoulders popping up weirdly. "No matter. I can buy another one."

"Well I hope you're done looking for now because I hear the Mayor calling," Sally said tilting her head toward the window. "Don't we have a last-minute party to plan?"

Jack's eyes widened in realization, "We're late! Every second counts!"

He spun on his heel and darted his gangly frame down the stairs.

Sally sighed and ran after him with a fond grin on her stitched face.

Zero looked up from his bed by the fireplace in the sitting room at the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut twice.

He whined and tucked his head into his blanket more, gnawing on one of Jack's ribs which he stole when his Master dozed off in his study after madly searching for a book. The skeleton wouldn't notice for a couple of hours hopefully.

It was the day after Halloween for Jack's sake! Surely everybody could wait a few more hours before rushing about, even with a new arrival in town.

The ghost opened his eyes, and his nose glowed brighter as a thought occurred to him. If the new monster were a skeleton, maybe she would like to play fetch with him like Jack did!

* * *

"Town meeting!" the Mayor shouted into his microphone at the top of his lungs while the town bell, a different one from the Requiem Bell, sounded off throughout the town.

Various citizens glared at him as they left their homes toward Town Hall, some dragging whining children behind them, others nursing hangovers from too much whiskey and ale from the previous night.

"I swear if this isn't about the new arrival, I'm breaking the Mayor's neck permanently." Glen, the werewolf, snarled as he followed the Grim Reaper through the door.

"That's my job. And would that really do anything?" the Hanging Tree pointed out as he yawned and settled into his usual spot behind the back row.

"It'd give me satisfaction."

"You two have had a mutual dislike for ages. I doubt attacking the Mayor because you drank too much last night would help."

The Hanged Men nodded in agreement, as best they could with nooses around their necks, as the Witches followed behind the crowd having left the skeleton at their house.

Surprisingly, Jack came in as the last one in the Hall, Sally by his side. That was bizarre. He was usually the first one inside and already backstage ready for the meeting.

"Horrid afternoon everyone," Jack cheerily said as he jumped up and casually walked across the pews, stepping over other monsters, before hopping on the stage.

Sally stayed in the back, finding a seat in the Hanging Tree's branches offered to her.

"Jack seems a little off," one of the Hanged Men rasped. "I thought he was already backstage."

Sally shrugged, glancing back at the door as the last ones inside closed it behind them.

"He was busy looking for something in his study. Made a racket too," she whispered distractedly.

"Did you get a look at the new arrival?" the Hanging Tree asked.

Sally forced a smile, "I haven't spoken to her yet, but I got a glance. She looks wonderfully scary. Poor girl seemed rather frightened, though."

"I hope everyone had pleasant nightmares," Jack said, drawing their attention. "And I'd like to congratulate everyone on an excellently horrid job once again with our holiday last night!"

Eyes lit up as the King spoke and applause rang out.

Jack glanced to the side of the stage where the Mayor stood proudly to hide his unease, rather than his usual spot in the rafters controlling the light.

The mummy child, the frequent helper to the Mayor, was handling it well on his own.

"I'm sure all of you are aware of why we've called a meeting," Jack said with a happy grin. He threw his arms wide open. "We have a new citizen!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd along with hoots, howls, and other noises.

Some creatures frowned and shuddered, thinking of the last newcomers.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

They were special because they all arrived at the same time and stuck together like glue without memories of their past lives. They were inseparable for so long, and it took a lot of coaxing for them to split up long enough for lessons with their mentors.

It didn't last long, though. They were difficult to deal with, and well…a prank went very wrong.

Hopefully, this girl skeleton was more pleasant than those three.

Jack laughed, "All right everyone. If you please. Now as most of you know, she's a skeleton like myself." Jack bowed a slightly. "And we have a Welcoming to plan for tonight!"

"Where is she now Jack?" the Corpse Father asked.

"Sleeping. She won't be joining us until later this evening. Even then, I must ask that everyone be cautious. She seems unaccustomed to fear."

The citizens looked confused. What did he mean by that? _Everyone_ knew fear, monsters, and humans.

Jack quickly explained, "The fear I sensed from her was uncontrolled and unfamiliar to her. She obviously didn't know how to handle it."

"I sensed it too," Zelda piped up, "Her fear felt like that of a toddler at first. Rather threw me off."

Helga nodded in agreement.

"I agree," the Gatekeeper said from the back, "I brought her into town, and her emotions reminded me of Tearaway trying to ride down Spiral Hill on his unicycle while drunk."

The Clown with a Tear-away Face guffawed and honked his horn. "Ha ha! That was one time forty years ago!"

"You ran me over and broke my wing!"

"Regardless." Jack chuckled with everyone else while bringing the discussion back under control. "I want the very best first impressions and singing from everyone. We should endeavor to let Annalise Grisholme know that we welcome her into our Halloween Town family with open coffins!"

The citizens cheered again before getting to work setting up. They moved like clockwork, everyone exactly knowing what they needed to do.

"How long do we have Jack?" the Mayor asked.

"A little under five hours, Mayor."

"What?!" the Mayor's head switched around, "Okay, everyone let's pick up the pace and keep it there. Five hours! Only five hours!"

Jack grinned while he started walking around in the other direction to make sure things were in place.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Ugh. This took so long! I had to revise like seven different times. Good news is that I have the next chapter written up too. It just needs to be revised and proofread. Apologies if there were any mistakes. I'm half asleep while writing this. If there are any mistakes all probably catch and correct them by next update. And yes, I'm aware my chapters are getting shorter. Some will be longer than others depending on how much I think I can fit in as a reasonable amount of words. There's a few super long chapter's coming up soon. REVIEW PLEASE! I LOVE REVIEWS! I see people following and favoriting this story and that's awesome, but I want to know why you like it (or hate it). REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7: This is Halloween

**Author's** **note: Sooo yeah….this chapter is super long. 7430-something words. I could have cut it into two chapters but decided against it. Do you like long chapters or short ones? And thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.** **I'm** **so glad** **you're** **enjoying the story!**

 **Thank you** **2002 for your review! I like the long reviews. Those are so much fun to read. And yes, I'm trying to stick to a weekly schedule of one chapter a week at least, with a goal of two a week if I can (or if they're shorter ones). But I have college applications to stress about so I must be careful where I put my time.**

 **claudiaramirez2527-sorry about the cliff hangers. They're just so much fun to write and set up the next chapter well while keeping a faster pace. Of course, that's annoying if I take a long time between updates. So I'll try to not make you wait in agony too much. :P**

 **(Then again I literally killed off my main character already soooo…..agony? Eh.)**

 **Mariemullinax—Me too!**

 **Hint: I would suggest having "This is Halloween" ready to play later on in the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **This is Halloween**

* * *

Anna woke up in a small attic bedroom with charcoal gray paint and a bed that was too small for her lanky frame.

"Oh. My head," she hissed as she sat up with shut eyes.

And immediately regretted it when the top of her head hit the slanted attic ceiling.

"OW!"

She winced and rubbed her sore skull as she surveyed the room. How did she get there?

Anna crossed her spindly legs, opting to stay on the small bed for the moment, and stared at her hands.

Yep. Bone.

"I need a mirror," she muttered, gingerly swinging her legs off the bed.

Her feet touched the hard, wooden floor and she almost recoiled at the sharp sensation. She stood still for a moment, taking in the detail of her skeletal feet.

With a thick swallow, the girl shook her head and tried to take a step.

"O-okay. Ah!" Anna gasped as she lost her balance and sat back onto the bed. After taking a moment to regroup, she tried again, this time more mindful of her center of gravity.

She stumbled toward an old vanity dresser on the other side of the small room. The glass was cracked, but that didn't impede her ability to see herself for the first time.

She choked back a strangled gasp as a memory came shooting through her skull at the sight.

Needles. Glass. Blood. Heat. Burns. Blisters. Her. A skeleton.

 _Don't you recognize yourself?_

Anna supported herself on the dresser and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the small headache away. Finally, she raised her eyes again.

What kind of memory was that? Was that even a memory to begin with? She shook her head and focused on the mirror.

It was so bizarre seeing her expressions on a face she didn't recognize, even if she couldn't remember looking any different.

She didn't have any eyes, which wasn't as much of a surprise as she thought. However, it was disconcerting having empty black craters instead of real eyes.

Anna opened her mouth for inspection only to jerk back and duck from the mirror.

She shouted at the face she accidently pulled, almost biting her tongue. She had a tongue apparently, along with wickedly sharp teeth she was sure were not there a moment ago! She had freaking fangs!

Anna slapped a hand over her mouth and stared at her wide socketed expression in the mirror with horror. Cautiously, she stood up, lowered her hand, and bared a weak grin at the mirror.

They looked like natural teeth now, though oddly spaced and slightly crooked. But she still had a tongue. What even…? Where did it go? She didn't have a throat. The long, forked, serpentine tongue was there when her mouth was opened then gone when she felt the underside of her jaw, which literally had nothing there.

She gave up after a couple of frustrating tries and stepped back to observe the rest of herself.

Anna eyed her unusual form in the mirror critically. She was so dirty. There were smudges of dark gray stuff (soot perhaps?) all over her bone from head to toe, but there seemed to be more on her left side. Her hair was a mess too, and she was afraid to comb it out with her fingers as if the slightest touch could pull it out. Hair didn't attach to bone, right? So how did she have any?

The clothes she came in—if they could be called that anymore—sat on a chair by the bed, a pile of crinkled, sooty, black rags that looked vaguely like a dress. Instead, she now wore a poorly fitting nightgown.

That's right! After the strange monsters couldn't find anything for her to wear, one of the odd looking women mentioned borrowing something from "Sally." The other skeleton, Jack, ran off for a few minutes and came back with a white nightgown that at least was the correct height.

He must have looked rather silly running across the square with a nightgown in hand.

Anna grimaced as she turned around in front of the mirror. It certainly wasn't ugly. It just looked so ridiculous on her new stick figure body. It kept slipping off her shoulders and hung off her torso awkwardly. The worst part was that it could easily look like an actual dress if she had a belt, but there wasn't anything besides furniture in the room. And dust.

Dust is mostly dead people skin, by the way.

She blinked and snickered. That was a weird thought.

" _Don't worry skelly. We'll get Harlequin to fix up something just for you as soon as possible!"_ Helgamine (that was her name right?) said.

Who, or what, was Harlequin?

The…monsters…seemed kind enough, but Anna didn't say much throughout the entire exchange. It seemed to concern them a bit. Jack ended up introducing her.

The shorter witch took her upstairs and showed her the room, throwing (literally) a few wooden crates out into the hallway while claiming they usually just used the extra room for storage. She told Anna to make herself at home then left to speak to the other two downstairs.

She was back a second later, handing Anna the nightgown. The woman stayed for a little to make sure Anna could handle it before leaving again.

Anna meant to eavesdrop on the adults (at least she thought they were adults) after changing clothes as quickly as she could, but that proved to be a bit more complicated than she expected. She kept catching the fabric on her floating ribs and hooked it on her shoulder bones more than once. She was exhausted and frustrated by the time she managed, and the bed was welcoming, even if it looked like a prop from an asylum horror movie—striped off-white sheets and suspicious stains included.

She didn't remember falling asleep, and she didn't know how long she was out. Hours? Minutes? Days?

It was dark outside at least.

She turned from the vanity dresser and shakily walked toward the large circular window across from the door. She climbed on the old window seat and wiped off the thick layer of dust (dead people) with a sleeve.

The street below was empty and lit by lampposts and torches that glowed an eerie orange. There were buildings in the way, but Anna could see a little of the town square with the creepy fountain.

Where was everyone?

The town seemed small from the road she was on earlier, but she now realized that was an optical illusion made by the odd shapes of the buildings. Regardless of the size of the town, there should still be people out and about right? Unless it was very late maybe. What time was it?

"Meow?"

Anna jumped and looked behind her with a sharp gasp, the unfamiliar panic and fear from earlier having already frayed her imaginary nerves.

Is this what ordinary people dealt with? Fear just popping up at random times, making one react before they can think of a more reasonable approach?

It was just a cat.

Said cat was skinny and jet black with acid green eyes. It sat primly next to the door it had nosed open.

"Um hi?" Anna muttered. Maybe she could control these new emotions better if she kept herself a little muted.

"Can you talk too?" Anna asked the cat, thinking of the bird from earlier.

The cat tilted its head and walked over, stopping at Anna's feet. It stared at her curiously for a moment before it shook its head slightly.

"So you can understand me, but you can't talk."

This time the cat nodded.

Okay. Stop being surprised Anna. You can roll with this…

"Do you live here? Are you a familiar?"

She was in a house belonging to two witches after all.

Another nod. Then after staring at her critically for a moment, the cat lightly head-butted Anna's bony leg.

She hesitantly reached down to scratch its back.

It purred contently and jumped up on the seat next to her before climbing into her lap.

"Um hello there. I'm not so sure I'm a very comfortable person to sit on. I don't seem to have a lap right now."

The cat didn't seem to care and curled up into the hammock made by the nightgown.

"Ok." What else could she say? "So, I don't know you but would it be alright to ramble a little? I don't think I'm quite sane at the moment."

The cat looked at her with a look that clearly said, "Of course you aren't sane."

"Well, I think I'm dealing with this rather well. I mean, I'm not freaking out about you understanding me at least."

The cat glared at her.

"Okay well, I did run away before and acted crazy with that bird, the..uh...Gatekeeper? Not a normal bird. He broke his neck and seemed fine with it," she said matter-of-factly.

The cat seemed bored with the conversation now and curled up comfortably, not minding when Anna shifted.

She stared down at it.

There was silence for nearly a half hour while Anna quietly calmed her thoughts (again) while her new friend slept.

"You're awfully friendly. We've only just met."

"Rrow," the cat purred.

"Do you know where other…people are?" the skeleton asked, "I'm not like, waiting to be eaten or anything right?"

The cat looked at her in annoyance before yawning and stretching. It climbed out of her lap and hopped to the floor.

"That was a short cat-nap," Anna chuckled, "Told you I wasn't very comfortable."

The black cat sauntered over to the door and stood there for a moment, turning to glance at her.

Anna tilted her head and shakily stood up.

The cat immediately left.

"H-hey wait!" Anna called, doing her best to follow quickly.

She shouted when she tripped over a leg of the bed.

"Ow! Darn it!" she hissed and lay on the floor. Jillian would have laughed and called her a klutz if she was here, like the mean little brat of a sister she was.

She got up, unaware of the memories that had settled into her subconscious.

The door was the next issue.

She first tried to use the doorknob but lost her grip. The metal just slipped from her hard fingers, so she grabbed the edge of the door itself to pull it open.

Thank goodness it wasn't latched closed, or she'd be trapped.

The stairs were horrible!

They were tiny and ridiculously steep. How on earth was she able to get up them in the first place? She must have been a lot more tired than she thought if she didn't even notice tripping the million times it would have taken her to climb them. She also had to duck a lot. Was she always this tall? Or was everything else just short?

The cat was sitting on the table in the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by dozens of weird looking talismans, herbs, bones, and whatever else one could imagine on a witches table. Except for body parts...

Oh never mind… there was a jar of what looked like pickled toes next to the cat.

"'Missing toes,'" she read the label aloud.

The phrase was crossed out and underneath someone had written 'Mistletoe?' with a giant question mark next to it. Next to that jar was another jar containing dried plants and a label with 'MISTLETOE' in all caps and a skull and crossbones symbol underneath.

Anna grimaced and clicked her teeth together.

"You wouldn't happen to know how I get out of here would you?" she asked, glancing around the room.

There was an entrance to another hallway on the left and a curtain covering an opened door on the right.

The cat looked at her strangely again. Did she mean the house or the town?

"Meroww?"

Anna shrugged, "Nevermind. Where is everyone?"

The cat didn't give her any kind of answer, instead decided then was the right time to start licking itself.

Anna rolled her eyes, far calmer than she had been since she first woke up. She felt a little more like her old self again- the sarcastic joking teen that she always was before…something…happened. Or at least she thought she was. Was she sarcastic?

She still wasn't sure what that "something" was. She died? What even was death and how did she know what it meant? Okay. Leave that for a little later.

She distinctly felt that earlier was much more confusing than the present. And it wasn't completely because of waking up in a strange world, though that played a large part of her (admittedly) slightly psychotic behavior earlier. No. She was scared because she didn't know who she was. A name is not a person after all.

There had been an itch. And nasty little itch in the back of her mind that kept telling her she forgot something, and it drove her crazy.

Anna chuckled, making the cat glance at her. She couldn't help it.

If Mark were here, he'd tell her—

"ARGH!" Anna froze and caught the table for support squeezing her eyes shut as little pieces clicked together in her mind. It was reminiscent of what happened upstairs yet much worse.

It hurt, like a part of her was trying to keep her from remembering while another part was forcing its way through anyway, like a dull knife. Whoever was holding the knife was stronger, though. Much stronger.

Anna hissed like a snake as a headache tore through her skull. She fell against the table, knocking a jar off as she lost the wherewithal to remember how legs worked.

The jar shattered on the floor beside her.

The cat jumped in surprise and yowled as it slipped off the edge of the table and hit the floor, the smelly contents of the jar staining its fur.

Anna didn't notice.

Her life. She remembered. Why couldn't she before?

Mark! He was with her, wasn't he?

…She remembered him…

Everything…was there. Everything about her life was suddenly _there_ as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Except, she wasn't really awake yet…

There were still bits missing. Lost memories. But she could mostly remember her life now. Her family? A brother and sister. Twins Jillian and James. Her mom and dad. She went to school. She had friends. She had a cat. Her birthday was…on Halloween…and until that morning she hadn't the ability to feel fear.

Now she remembered what Halloween was. She hadn't understood the bird before.

Halloween! Her favorite holiday! And this town?

The worst of the pain subsided eventually, but there was still a dull throb.

"What on earth was that?" Anna snapped at no one in particular when she could talk without feeling like she was about to pass out. That was awful. And now she was actually nauseous. Can skeletons throw up? She didn't want to find out.

She was human! That's what she couldn't figure out. By God, she used to be human! Albeit, one that was a little messed up in the head. She wasn't sure about it before, but that explained why she had those odd moments of understanding that she wasn't supposed to look like this.

She now realized that the tidbit memories that kept popping up earlier were out of place before.

Oddly, now that she wasn't human, she could feel fear. How's that work?

Something happened. Something wrong. And she still couldn't remember what it was, but she knew the memory was there. She also had a vague idea what it was about.

How did she die?

That's what she couldn't grasp. The answer, the memory, was just out of reach.

Something, probably the same "knife" that made her remember everything else, told her that wasn't a memory she would want to go looking for. But she had a hint.

There was an intense heat. And fear. Panic. Loss.

She knew what those feelings were now. And they were telling her not to push.

So she let it be.

For now.

"Meoooow?" the cat whined from next to her feet. It stared up at her half annoyed, half curious. And wet.

Anna looked down at it. "I-I have to leave."

What?

That was the clear question on the cat's whiskered face.

"Someone... was in danger…and…I…" she stopped, not entirely sure what to say. "My brother and sister. They…they were in trouble. I need to know that they're okay. I have to go home."

She wasn't even sure what danger they could have been in, she just _knew_ that it was there.

The cat looked at her in utter shock, probably the most emotion anyone could ever see on a cat…

Did she remember who she was before? That's impossible! The most anyone ever got was bits and pieces and _maybe_ how they died after they had been dead for a while.

"I-I have to go," Anna said, pushing off the table and walking to the curtain. She almost tripped on the cat when it ran ahead of her.

She stopped short of entering the shop. She wasn't paying attention before, but now she got a good look.

If R.L Stine, Stephen King, and Tim Burton could get together to run a Halloween horror shop, it would be like the freak show grocery store she was standing in. It was small but well stocked from what she could see.

She eyed a shrunken head distrustfully as she skirted around the coat hanger it hung from. She bumped into a shelf with hundreds of little glass bottles and hurriedly stabilized it before anything fell.

There was a clatter, and Anna looked up just in time to see the cat wiggle its slim body through a partially opened window. There were bangs and another noise that sounded like the cat had landed on a trashcan outside.

She started toward the door, putting the brakes on when something caught her socket.

There was a basket of ribbons on the floor by a rack. It was filled with the extra lengths of ribbon that no one ever wanted from the very end of the spools.

Glancing around to see if anyone would pop out to stop her, Anna deftly bent down without losing her balance and pulled out a long, wide piece of black satin ribbon.

It was too short to be used for much else and a little frayed at the ends, but Anna figured since she didn't have much of a waist anyway it could be useful to her.

She was just going to borrow it, even if she doubted anyone would care if she took it. She knew nothing about this world. Maybe stealing someone else's trash was a punishable offense.

She tied it around her waist, annoyed that the only "waist" she sort-of-not-really had was the rest of her spine below her ribs. It was only a couple inches thick, so she was left with an awful lot of leftover ribbon when she finally managed a sloppy bow on her left side above her hip bone. Her fingers didn't seem willing to cooperate.

She didn't trust herself to handle scissors if she could find any, so she let the excess fall down her side.

She looked at herself in the reflection of nearby mirror and smiled, pleased that it looked like she was wearing real clothes now.

Anna tried to open the front door, but she couldn't get a grip on the doorknob.

"Who needs skin," she deadpanned, "No big deal. Just grip the stupid doorknob without any traction in your fingers. Basic physics you idiot!"

She eventually got it open by using the sleeve of the nightdress like a glove and slipped out into the street quietly.

There was no sign of the cat.

She didn't know where to go, but the end of the street seemed like a good start. The other direction was a dead end anyway.

Heh. _Dead_ end...

She shook the smirk away.

Yes, she was still trying to wrap her around the idea of being a _skeleton,_ of all things, but it was easier if she tried not to think about it too much.

Her bare feet hit the ground with soft clicking sounds and Anna briefly worried about stepping on nails without any shoes on. The sounds made her wince, afraid that someone would hear her. She wasn't sure what to expect from other creatures that might live in such a freaky looking town. It was at least populated by skeletons, suicidal birds, and stereotypical witches.

She walked by each house, paranoid about the doorknobs turning and someone stepping out.

She miraculously didn't have problems walking if she concentrated on where each foot went.

Anna passed a house with a door shaped like a coffin lid when she stepped back out into the town square.

She walked toward the fountain and stood next to it as she tried to decide what to do next. The trickle of the water accompanied her thoughts.

Home. She had to make sure everyone was alright. Maybe if she went back to where she woke up that morning, she might find some way back home. Or she could try to find that Jack person. The witches seemed to respect and slightly fear him, even if one swore at him for coming in when the store was closed. Maybe he was the one to ask how to get back.

Back where? That was the real question.

"Now, where do you think you're going, missy?" a raspy voice suddenly said.

Anna spun around.

There was one of the witches from earlier leaning on her broom staring _very far_ up at Anna expectantly. She looked Anna up and down while the skeleton stood stock still.

"Well, you're up _much_ earlier than expected. I was sure that sleeping spell would have lasted longer."

Now Anna could remember. This witch, the shorter one with the name Zeldabourne, had given Anna a drink she claimed was apple cider shortly before taking her to the spare room upstairs.

"Then again, it's not like we had many skeleton test subjects to choose from and Jack, well…" the witch chuckled to herself, "Only in my dreams."

"You…you _drugged_ me?" Anna asked incredulously as she shook her head, deciding not to think too much on that last sentence.

"Just a mild sleeping curse sweetie." Zeldabourne waved her hand dismissively. "Much safer than those _drugs_ I think you're referring too."

Anna sputtered slightly but wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"How did you know I was out here." She glanced around. "Where did you come from?"

"I sent Trouble to keep an eye on you and to come get me from Town Hall when you woke up," the witch explained. She cackled lightly. "Hee hee. The Mayor's going to throw a fit about you waking up before we're ready.

"Trouble?"

"Merow."

Anna looked over her shoulder to see the cat sitting behind her with something Anna could have sworn was a smirk on its face.

 _Traitor…_

Zelda saw the glare in Anna's sockets, "Don't blame the cat dearie. He's just doing his job."

Anna looked back down and stepped back a bit, put off by how small the woman was.

The makeshift ribbon belt Anna wore caught the witches eye.

"Well aren't you resourceful," she commented.

Anna shifted a little. "Hope it's alright…"

Zelda waved her off and cackled again, "Not like I needed it. Next time ask, though, sweetie. Some of us don't take kindly to someone taking our throwaways. You'd be surprised what monsters are willing to trade around here."

"Sorry, ma'am," Anna said.

"Eeych. Don't call me ma'am! You're going to make me feel as old as I am!" she turned on her pointy heel and started walking across the square toward a large, important looking building. It was as off-kilter as the rest of the town. "Don't just stand there! Come along!"

"Er. Okay," Anna said, wringing her hands for a moment. She followed the witch, Trouble racing ahead and darting through the door as someone opened it a bit.

Anna couldn't quite see them clearly from where she was, but she saw the figure at the door freeze before turning around sharply.

The skeleton couldn't tell before, but with the door opened she could hear music drifting through the air.

She jumped as a voice shouted from inside, "SHE'S COMING!"

Zeldabourn groaned, "Clearly, _someone_ can't wait to meet you…"

"Wait…" Anna was cut off as the witch suddenly hopped on her broom and vanished inside, flying through the entrance like a model rocket gone haywire. Skeleton Anna stood in the chilling mist of a Halloween Town afternoon wondering what on earth was she supposed to do.

She stood at the bottom of the steps leading to the door. They, whoever or whatever they were, were obviously expecting her to go inside.

But she had to leave! She couldn't stay there. She had to make sure her siblings weren't hurt. She had to make sure Mark and her friends were okay…

She shifted from foot to foot.

With a sigh, she realized it wasn't like she knew how to get back home anyway…

She climbed the steps, understanding that she wasn't actually prepared for whatever she was probably about to see.

"Just don't scream," she muttered to herself, the stinging reminder of her freak-out that morning haunting her.

A second _after_ she pushed the door open, Anna suddenly remembered she was barefoot, looked like a burnt cookie with a bad hair day, and was wearing nothing but a nightdress with a poorly tied ribbon.

She…was not sure what she was expecting, but this wasn't it.

The room was empty...

What?!

There were people in here seconds ago!

The place was darkened, but there was still plenty of light, though dimmed, to see that the large room with pews and a speaker's stage was empty.

There seemed to be electrical lights, but there were all off at the moment. Instead, torches with dull orange flames were the light.

She stood agape and a little disturbed in the silence.

This is one of those moments in a movie where she would yell at the stupid main characters to turn around and run for the hills.

She waited for a second, her silhouette blocking the rising moonlight.

She could feel fear now, right?

Then why wasn't she afraid?

She looked around once more with wide sockets before picking up a foot and taking an exaggerated step forward.

 _SLAM!_

She jumped away from the heavy door with a startled shout, bumping into the closest bench.

There was an electrical crackling as light from above suddenly turned on, shining down on her with a blinding light.

She took a step to the side to peer at whoever was behind it, but there was no one there.

"Who's there?" she said.

Well, that got a reaction.

There was a faint sound of hushed snickering.

"No one but me," a voice whispered from right behind her. It was like someone leaning over her shoulder.

A chill went down her spine.

She gasped and spun around, but there was no one there…literally.

Anna looked around, eyes locking on shadowed corners and the flicker of slight movement under benches. She looked up at the whispering sounds coming from the ceiling. She wouldn't have even noticed if she wasn't paying attention.

Something caught her eye, and she swallowed.

The once empty stage now had a figure on it.

A scarecrow with a pumpkin head and straw coming out the seams hung limply from a makeshift cross structure. Thatch and tinder surrounded its feet.

That wasn't there a second ago.

 _Then the music started._

" _Boys and girls of every age…"_

Anna jumped in surprise and looked around for the source of the singing.

The spotlight from the rafter above swung around to land back on her. Or at least, she thought it was on her.

She looked to her side to see her shadow on the wall behind. It wasn't alone.

There was another shadow beside hers, standing very close to her stiffened shape. It looked wispy, and light shone through in place of eyes.

But no one was actually standing beside her.

"Holy-." She didn't finish her thought as she misjudged a step and fell back into an empty seat with a grunt.

" _Wouldn't you like to see something strange?"_

Another popped up beside the first shadow.

" _Come with us, and you will see…"_

And another one…this one with two heads.

" _This our town of Halloween!"_

She scrambled to her feet to stand in the aisle but ducked when something swooped from the ceiling.

" _This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night."_

Cartoonish, sheet-like ghosts curled in the air above her head like mist under a ceiling fan as the music swelled.

 _This is Halloween, everybody make a scene  
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright._

There were more voices now. Everywhere.

Anna couldn't see them, but they were all in the same room as her just out of sight, popping into view when it was their line.

She could hear Jack too, his voice among the others, but she couldn't tell where he was.

 _It's our town, everybody scream!  
In this town of Halloween_

The chorus quieted, and Anna shrieked and jumped on top of one of the pews when something furry grazed her foot.

 _I am the one hiding under your bed_

Curiosity got the better of her as she leaned over the armrest and looked under the bench.

 _Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red!_

And that's exactly what she saw. Nothing else really. Just a black, shapeless, mass that looked…happy…even while gnashing their teeth in time to the music.

Anna smiled shyly and gave it a small wave.

He waved back.

Anna's skull snapped up as someone else popped up behind the bench she was on.

 _I am the one hiding under your stairs  
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair_

Anna wondered if that was a real spider as the strange creature ducked out of sight again.

He wasn't there when she looked over the back of the seat.

As more came into view (and started staying there), she realized they…honestly looked kind of cool to her. Scary…but not to her if that made any sense.

Every time she jumped or shouted was because she was startled. Oddly enough, it wasn't their appearances that got to her, and that seemed very strange in her opinion since her newfound emotion of fear was so uncontrolled to begin with.

 _This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

She backed up to see if she could catch where the "bed" and "stairs" monsters went but gasped when she accidentally ran into someone.

The Vampire Brothers mildly pushed her away before she could trip on one of their cloaks.

 _In this town, we call home  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

 _In this town, don't we love it now?!  
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_

Anna started at the booming voice coming from the loft above her. She craned her neck to see a stout man with a tall hat and disproportionate thin legs dancing and spinning around.

She stepped back in confused instinct when she noticed his head wasn't quite turning with the rest of him at some points. And at others, it kept spinning though he had stopped.

 _Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can  
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll…_

To her credit, she was expecting that next jump scare, so she only jerked a little.

 _Scream! This is Halloween  
Red 'n' black, slimy green_

However, what she didn't know was that it was such a big deal to the monsters that she laughed after that one. Now they knew she was enjoying the song.

She giggled and grinned as the werewolf asked her…

 _Aren't you scared?_

Anna held up two fingers in a pinching motion.

"YEP!" she said with a grin.

She was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see familiar faces joining the growing crowd.

Helgamine and Zeldabourne flew around the room on their brooms, swinging low to make some monsters duck, Anna included.

 _Well, that's just fine!  
Say it once, say it twice  
Take the chance and roll the dice  
Ride with the moon in the dead of night_

E _verybody scream, everybody scream_

How the heck could she not see a large _TREE_ in the room with her!

The hung wooden skeletons that she thought were decorations suddenly rasped their line.

 _In our town of Halloween_

A creepy clown rode his unicycle in haphazard circles around her.

 _I am the clown with the tear-away face_

Wow, did she jump with that next trick.

The clown suddenly ripped off his face!

 _Here in a flash and gone without a trace_

 _I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"_

The "who" is a person? That explained the snickering earlier. And the disembodied voice. Anna's grin widened. Did she make a joke without realizing it?

 _I am the wind blowing through your hair_

She really wasn't expecting that one…at all…

Now it seemed the freaking wind was someone too.

 _This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

The room was full of creatures now. Every shape and size. They were all so weird looking, and the dancing of a few of them made her back up toward the stage to avoid being clocked. They followed, forming into a scattered half-circle around the base of the stage.

Someone tugged on the edge of her nightdress/dress, and she looked very far down to see several small creatures staring at her in curiosity.

Children, she realized.

 _Tender lump- lings everywhere  
Life's no fun without a good scare_

Then a couple whom she assumed were the parents of the zombie boy closest to her came forward and looked directly at her.

The mom grinned creepily but kindly while the father reached out and shook her hand before she knew what was happening.

 _That's our job, but we're not mean  
in our town of Halloween_

 _In this town_

 _Don't we love it now?_

As her attention was drawn back to the man with the tall hat and clicking neck, she noticed the orange silk badge on his suit.

It said MAYOR.

 _Everyone's waiting for the next surprise!_

Then, every single one of them pointed behind her…

 _Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back  
And scream like a banshee  
Make you jump out of your SKIN!_

Yet another startled yelp escaped her as it seemed, from her perspective, the stage behind her exploded in fire.

She lost her balance trying to turn while stepping away and fell, but someone, she wasn't sure who, caught her and pushed her to her feet.

The scarecrow she didn't think was alive was dancing around crazily. It only stayed on the stage for a couple seconds before jumping around the room, somehow without losing its balance as it teetered through fiery twirls atop the headrests of benches.

 _This is Halloween, everybody scream  
Won't ya please make way for a very special  
guy  
Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch  
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now_

What?!

Was that scarecrow the skeleton she met earlier? Jack?

And Pumpkin _King?_ That sounded important…

However, something was wrong. There was a grip of panic tugging at her now.

Why now?

She was shaking now and no longer laughing.

She stared wide-eyed at the fire that should have caught other things on fire as the scarecrow danced. However, nothing else seemed to catch. She couldn't even feel any heat.

But the terror was rising. She wanted to stay but at the same time leave. It was an awful feeling.

And she didn't like it.

The fire…it was…she just wanted to get away from it.

The scarecrow reached out to her, and for a moment her hand was on fire as she scrambled to keep up with him as they spun around dizzily.

But she pulled away sharply with a shout after a second. The slight edge in her tone was lost in the noise.

But some of the monsters seemed to notice this even if she didn't see their concerned glances.

Amidst the flurry of motion, the scarecrow noticed too and backed up, his fire fading as the chorus was sung.

 _This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

Suddenly, all light went out, and the whole room plunged into darkness.

Anna could still sense creatures all around her, but the most she could make out were vague shapes as her sight struggled to adjust.

Children voices whispered next to her, and she tilted her head in confusion. They seemed much farther below her than before.

 _In this town, we call home  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

Torches burst, electric lights clicked.

The entire room exploded into bright, clear light and Anna suddenly found herself standing on the stage next to Jack in his normal(?) clothing wondering how on earth she got up there.

 _La, la, la, la-la la, la, la, la-la la, la, la, la-la la, la-la la, Wheeeeeee!_

She was still blinking owlishly before she realized the song was over and everyone was applauding.

"WELCOME TO HALLOWEEN TOWN!" everyone shouted, their voices loud and cacophonous.

She couldn't help the smile that came back and clapped with everyone else, grinning like a madwoman and slightly hopping from foot to foot.

"Annalise Grisholme, everyone!" Jack suddenly announced loudly as he carefully took her hand and whispered, "Take a bow, Miss."

She looked at him in surprise, "But I didn't do anything."

The monsters laughed at that.

"Why, don't you see?" Jack said with a grin, "Just coming here is deserving of applause."

Anna stared at the crowd in front of her in shock but did as he said and stage bowed toward the town.

The crowd cheered louder if that was possible.

"Well?" Jack said as everyone quieted, "First impressions?"

"I think I died and landed in a Disney musical," she blurted without even thinking.

That earned Anna a round of cackling and hoots.

"Hee hee," Jack laughed, "Oh my…that certainly a new one."

After that, the crowd got to moving the benches out of the way to clear the floor, and someone brought in a table with food while someone else, the zombie mom from earlier, practically ordered Anna to sit on the stage and wait. Every time she got up to try helping, she got snapped at by a monster.

They weren't rude, but they seemed very insistent that she not do anything.

She wasn't quite sure how long she was there, but the party went on for _hours_. She didn't specifically fear any of the monsters that approached her, but there was still a sting of nervousness she couldn't quite shake off.

Almost every single one of them wanted to meet her, with a few exceptions, and it wasn't long before there was a small group around her at all times.

"This is all for me?" she asked incredulously, and a little embarrassed, when there was a break in the welcomes and introductions.

The Mayor had just came up for the third time to welcome her and apologize for their hurried performance before going to speak with someone else.

Anna thought he was crazy. The song was great!

"Of course!" one of the witches said, handing her a cookie with moving eyes painted on.

Anna noticed that the two witches she met earlier seemed to be keeping an extra close watch on her.

"But…" Anna's thoughts trailed off as she stared at the cookie and another thought occurred to her.

"It's just a spell, dearie," Helgamine said.

"It's not that. The eyes are actually really cool. It's um…"

"Oh spit it out."

"How… am I able to…"

"Eat it?"

Anna nodded.

The witch suddenly rolled her eyes and yelled behind her.

"JAAAAACK?!"

Anna's sockets widened, and she instinctually covered her face with her hand as creatures turned to look at them.

The skeleton-man was over in a second, hand in hand with another monster.

He deftly wiped a few crumbs off his suit.

"Yes? What's the problem?"

The lady next to him flicked another crumb off his bowtie without a single word.

"I think our new little skelly here forgot how she drank cider this morning without any problems…"

"What?" Jack said in confusion, not quite getting it. Or not hearing. The room was a bit loud.

"She has some concerns."

"Oh. Don't be too concerned about losing a limb or two." Jack said, missing the cider prompt, "It is actually much easier for a skeleton to reconnect them than most other monsters."

Helgamine looked a slight bit annoyed.

The woman with the red yarn hair and stitches sighed and smiled.

"She means eating, Jack." She said as Anna snickered a little.

"Oh…" Jack said, "Oh! Yes. We can eat." He nodded toward Anna. "You just won't want to eat very much. I don't have much of an appetite myself, but we may be different. No monster here really needs to eat Miss Anna. You certainly won't die from starvation. That would be rather redundant. But you _can_ eat."

"…Can I get hungry?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. But you'll just always feel that hunger until you eat again. You'll never die from it."

"Never" is an awfully big word, she thought.

"That answer your question?"

In response, Anna stuffed the small-ish cookie in her mouth whole and gave them a silly grin.

They chuckled at the teen's now carefree and slightly impish attitude, pleased that she was so accepting of her situation.

"I'd like to introduce you to-."

"Your girlfriend?" Anna said, remembering a second later that interrupting was rude.

"Is that the term these days? Then yes," he gestured to the woman next to him. "Anna this is Sally."

"Hello," Sally said, taking Anna's hand but not quite shaking it.

Her voice was soft and kind, a bit of a contrast from some the rougher voices Anna had been hearing.

"Hi," Anna said, "I think I took your nightgown…"

"That's okay!" Sally said quickly, "Keep it as long as you need. I have another one and I can always make another if I have to."

"Thank you…I…uh…" Anna briefly wondered if she could blush in embarrassment without blood. She shook her head, deciding not to mention how she might have walked in naked if she wasn't already dressed and thinking clearly. "Thank you…"

Sally shrugged, "Of course! But it's not like you could fit anyone else. Even _my_ clothes seem a little short on you."

Anna frowned.

"That's been confusing me," she said hesitantly, "Um…how…tall am I?"

There was silence for a moment before a monster that had a mouth that went around his whole head burst out laughing before the cyclops next to him hit him on the shoulder in attempts to shut him up.

Anna put her hands up, "I'm asking because…everything seems… a lot smaller than it should be."

A few monsters that overheard her were laughing so hard now that they had to be supported by whoever they were next to.

Even Jack was giggling like a child.

"Oh my. Finally! Someone who can relate!"

"Hey!" Sally said, "I'm almost as tall as you!"

" _Almost_ , my dearest friend. There's still at least a foot between us."

"Hee hee. At _least_ ," Helgamine cackled, "HA! Last time I checked, Anna dear, I was about 135 centimeters."

Anna stared down at her for a bit.

"Um…I'm from the U.S.…"

"Four and a half feet." Helgamine looked at her oddly. She remembered where she was from? It was obvious to the rest of them that she was from America, based on the accent, but the fact that _she_ knew that was curious.

"What?!"

"And I am about 8 feet," Jack said, also noticing her mention of the U.S.

" _WHAT?!"_ Anna said in disbelief as they laughed at her reaction. She was only a couple inches shorter than him!

"I was 5 foot 5 inches at most!"

"Well, that's obviously changed." Jack laughed at Anna flustered expression.

The "lively" celebration went on for a long time, and Anna soon forgot about asking how to get home.

Little did she know that for every laugh that greeted her in this new world…there was yet another grieving sob in the last one…

 **Author's note: For those of you wondering, Anna adjusted so quickly because even with the unfamiliar shock of feeling fear for the first time in years, her soul was always** _ **supposed**_ **to feel comfortable in Halloween. She's not completely comfortable yet, she just died for Pete's sake! However, she had fun watching the citizens sing the song for her (except for that one part) and that's a big deal to them.**

 **Apologies for mistakes. If I catch them after I've already updated, I'll likely correct it in the next update.**


	8. Chapter 8: Lockers

**Author's Note: I officially applied for college. Finally! I haven't been accepted yet but I'm pretty sure I'll get in. YAY! I'm going to study animation and work on movies you'll write fanfiction for later. Can't wait. :P**

 **Shout to Aria of Life for her awesome story, Tricked out. It's about a girl by the name of Ivy falling into Halloween Town and dealing with monsters who don't always know what's dangerous for humans. She's dealing with some prejudice at the moment too. Poor jumpy lass.**

 **By the way, this chapter lives up to the teen rating. Most of the scenes take place in high school after all. Nothing too bad though.**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Lockers**

 _Boys don't become men until they marry and men don't become responsible until they have their first child._

 _That's what my sister learned when she had to deal with the first boy to ever have a crush on her. My dad told her that little nugget of wisdom and I heard it when I eavesdropped on a call between her and a friend._

 _When my sister learned a boy from school had a crush on her, she did something I never thought a teenager would ever be willing to do._

 _She went to our dad for advice. Who does that?_

 _Anna Grisholme does, apparently. That was two years ago, and she rejected that first guy. Now she's sixteen and dating this jerk. Well, just turned sixteen. And the guy she likes is a jerk who likes ruffling hair and calling me squirt and buying my twin stupid-head brother videogames._

 _I'm eleven now. Practically a teen myself. I'm sure "squirt" isn't appropriate anymore. And is it supposed to be flattering? What's flattering about a verb that sounds like the back end of a squid or clogged ketchup bottle or worse? Ew. It's way worse than…_

"Jelly Bean, do you know where my notebook is?" Anna asked as she tossed her gym bag at the boy who stood in the doorway to the living room and completely turned her backpack upside down, spilling everything out. Pencils scattered upon impact and stray paper limped through the air like drunk fluttering butterflies.

Jillian Grisholme rolled her eyes and shrugged with a non-committal grunt as she continued to leaf through her brother's journal while he sat four feet away blissfully unaware of the danger his social life was in.

James sucked on his lollipop as he concentrated on rebuilding his science project again. Why did his twin sister have to be such a turd? It was like she didn't care that both of their grades depended on this stupid volcano. She wasn't going to get credit if she didn't help, the teacher had said so since she broke it in the first place. But she seemed to think he was bluffing.

The living room table was covered with newspaper, as was the floor surrounding, while a wet clay and plaster structure took up space. Generally, their mom wouldn't allow it anywhere near her living room carpet, but she made an exception this time because the kitchen still had a pumpkin carving party mess, which Anna had to clean up after Halloween.

James tried to scratch his nose with an arm since he didn't want to get any more plaster on his face.

"I have to find that stupid notebook!" Anna huffed in annoyance as she yanked a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Where did you put it last," Jillian said with a sneer.

"Don't start with the mom quotes. You, little sis, know that is the most unhelpful phrase anyone could say," Anna dropped to her knees to check under the couch, her voice becoming muffled, "If I knew where I put it last, then I wouldn't be looking for it like this."

"Maybe you should just be smart enough to remember where it is."

James half-heartedly poked into the conversation without breaking his concentration, "That coming from a brat who can't even remember her email password…"

"You shut up," Jillian snapped.

"Hey now," the teenage boy said, "That's enough. I think I heard your mom mention something about no Trick- or- Treating tonight if you squirts fight today."

"OK," mumble James completely tuned out.

"Fine, Mark," Jillian muttered.

"Aha!" Anna said in triumph as she got up from the floor holding a spiral notebook. "History class, here I come…"

Jillian rolled her eyes again and poked the edge of the volcano with her foot in boredom.

James slapped her foot away without even looking.

"Ready?" Mark asked leaning against the doorframe. He shot Anna a smile.

She smiled back at him, almost making her little sister puke.

"Yeah. Hey James, Jillian. You walking to school or do you want us to drop you off?" Anna asked stuffing her things back into her backpack.

"I wanna ride," Jillian said swinging her legs off the couch, purposely barely missing the volcano by a couple inches.

"I…um…" James swallowed, glancing between his sisters and his project, unsure. "We have another hour before we have to go."

"Breakfast?" the eldest Grisholme sibling said a shrug.

"I'm paying," Mark added.

James bit his lip, conflicted. Should he stay and work on the volcano for an extra hour or go to breakfast?

"Oh, come on. It's not due until next week, you nerd," Jillian said, pulling her shoes on.

"What's not due?" Mr. Grisholme said as he walked into the living room in his business suit and keys in hand. "Anna, I thought you and Mark already left."

"Not yet, Dad."

"Morning sir," Mark greeted.

The large man with graying hair nodded and turned to his youngest kids, "Still working on that mountain guys?"

"It's a volcano, Dad," James corrected.

"Well, you've been working hard on that thing all week. You deserve a break kiddo. Go with your sisters and Mark and give your brain a rest before school. How's that sound?"

James groaned a little but nodded and stood up.

"And Jillian? You're helping your brother with chores after school since you weren't working on your project with him."

"UGH!"

Mr. Harold Grisholme waited until his daughters and son were out the door and walking toward Mark's car before he spoke again.

"May I have a word, Mark?"

Anna looked behind in curiosity, having heard her father.

Mark waved her off, "I'll be right there."

Annalise shrugged. She then ran back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and another on her father's before shooing the twins to the car, ignoring Jillian's taunts.

"What are they talking about," James asked as the siblings got in the car, Anna in the passenger seat.

"Don't know," Anna said, pulling out her sketch book after checking that the small plastic pet carriers in the box she put in the car earlier were still okay.

Mark was back a couple minutes later.

Anna looked at him suspiciously.

"What's with that look, Roman?" she laughed.

Mark tried to wipe the smile from his face. He was almost glowing.

Anna thought his idiot grin was almost too cute.

She looked at him in surprise when he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

She almost didn't hear Jillian and James' loud protests from the backseat.

She blinked, eyes confused. "Mark?"

"Your dad gave me permission," Mark cleared his throat, embarrassed "T-to uh…take you to the dance tonight. Happy birthday?"

Anna snickered, "That's it? You actually asked his permission? He knew we were going together for weeks." She raised her eyebrows. She could tell Mark was hiding something. She wasn't sure what, though.

"The whole damn town knows," Jillian and James muttered at the same time.

"Language!" Anna chided.

Her little sister stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well I thought it'd be nice to ask anyway," Mark said.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Jillian groaned.

"Can we go already?" James complained.

"Yep! How's about we take a shortcut. Up Cipher Street perhaps?" Mark suggested.

There were excited whoops from the kids and a happy clap from Anna at the mention of the infamous street.

Not only was it the most twisty street in town, but it also had the nickname of "Roller-coaster Lane" from teens taking the long way to school due to its steep up and downs and sharp turns.

"Breakfast first," James said.

* * *

An hour later the twins climbed out of the car with a few groans and looking a little green.

"Breakfast first? Really?!" Jillian snapped at her brother.

"Hey, no one argued," James defended as he adjusted his backpack and stood up, shaking his head slightly, "I probably should have buckled up better. Ow." He winced and rubbed his head.

The twins started to walk away before Anna opened the door and climbed out. "Hey, aren't you two forgetting something?"

They both groaned, but James turned around and gave his taller sister a side hug.

Jillian crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Come on…" Anna said with a grin, arms open wide.

Jillian rolled her eyes, aware of some students staring and grudgingly came forward.

Anna bent down to hug her and…

 _PFFFFFFBBBBTTTT._

"Oh come on! Are you serious?!" Jillian complained in disgust, "When did you even get a whoopee-cushion in my backpack?!"

Anna cackled while Mark leaned his head on the steering wheel with a sigh.

"Hey that was mild," Anna snickered, "At least you're off the Pumpkin List now, Jellybean."

"You're a freak," Jillian said as she turned on her heel and dragged a laughing James into the school with her.

Anna snickered as she got back in the car.

"You are a freak," Mark said with a laugh, "A lovely freak, though."

"Awwww. You always know what to say," Anna cooed mockingly.

"Can I get another kiss for that?"

"Dream on," Anna said.

Mark looked into her green eyes for a moment longer and smiled.

"What?" she laughed at his goofy grin.

"Nothing. Just...happy birthday, Anna." He said. After a pause, he said, "You know I love you right?"

"I love you too," she replied, tilting her head slightly, "I know it's my birthday but you're not usually sweet like this. Is there something I should be aware of?"

"I just realized that I don't really say it very often. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I don't really say that I love you that often either." Anna said as she buckled up. "Don't take this the wrong way but I'm glad we were friends for so long before you asked me to be your girlfriend. We don't have to try too hard to make each other happy."

"Yeah. Though honestly, I was a little put off by being friend-zoned so much." Mark said teasingly.

"Okay, first of all, we've known each other since kindergarten. Second, I always thought you liked Sarah."

"Well, I did always think she was _attractive,_ but I never actually considered falling for her," Mark retorted.

"Still think she's attractive?" Anna asked.

"Eh. What's the answer that won't get me slapped?"

Anna gasped and punched him in the shoulder.

"Kidding. Yes, she's still a little attractive, but I think she'd look better if she didn't wear so much make-up. Plus she's a little…"

"Worldly?"

Mark nodded. "Still think John's attractive?"

Anna snorted, "You're asking if I think your best friend is good-looking?"

Mark shrugged. "Hey, just being fair!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but it's superficial. The guy cares too much about his looks."

"Good to know," Mark chuckled.

"Well, don't tell him I said that. He's got a big enough ego."

"Nah. He'll start flirting with you behind my back. I kind of want to invite him to my wedding as the best man and hitting on my high school girlfriend would ruin it for me."

"Aw. Give him a little credit. Now are we going to be sitting in the car all day talking about other people we find attractive or are we going to school?"

Mark shook his head as they drove the five minutes to their high school.

* * *

"Soooo?"

Anna rolled her eyes at her best friend, Sarah, sitting on her desk when she walked into class.

"What is it, Sarah?"

"Did you pick a costume for tonight?" Sarah said, refusing to get off Anna's desk, even as other students trickled into the classroom.

"Of course." Anna wondered why the gray-eyed blond was even asking. She should know Anna always chose her costume weeks before Halloween. "You?"

"I'm going for a cute nurse look."

Anna grimaced. Knowing Sarah, it was probably a little questionable.

Sarah saw the look and rolled her eyes, "Oh lighten up. It's on the one night where dress code doesn't matter. Much. You should relax and enjoy yourself too. You're the birthday girl."

"Hm. Well, I don't want boys staring at me all night," Anna shot back, leaning on her desk as she flipped through a notebook.

"Just one, right?"

Anna glared at Sarah.

"Oh come on!" Sarah teased, "You got to keep a guy like Mark interested if you know what I mean."

"Interested?" Anna said, fairly annoyed, "I'm not lowering my standards for anyone, not even Mark. He takes me as I am."

Sarah scoffed apparently not agreeing, "This is high school, Anna. Have a little fun!"

"I'm smart enough to have fun without losing my virginity," Anna hissed quietly.

"Ooh. Ouch," Sarah said, "Fine. Be that way. How are we still friends?"

"Beats me," Anna shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips. Sarah had never actually been with a boy like that either, she was just okay with others thinking she had. "Can I have my desk back?"

"We still have five minutes. I wanna gossip!" Sarah grinned.

"I hate gossip."

"Even if it's about you and Mark?"

Anna tersely nodded.

"Too bad. I heard Chelsea say Mark was cheating on you."

"Whoa. Jump right into it why don't you? And I wouldn't believe anything Chelsea says. I trust Mark more than I do her. Actually, I trust _anyone_ more than I do her."

"Yeah. Just thought you'd like to know. No one believes her by the way. She's probably just trying to ruin your birthday."

"Morning Psycho-Freak."

Speak of the devil.

"Morning Chelsea!" Anna said cheerily as she turned toward the unpleasant classmate.

"Happy birthday, I guess," the blond said, her hair darker than Sarah's.

"Thanks, wasn't expecting a congrats from you."

"Yeah well. It's just funny to me how a creep like you just _had_ to be born on the night for dead things. How's that feel? I read somewhere that a long time ago if a kid what born on Halloween, they sacrifice it so that demons wouldn't possess it. Guess you caught a lucky break, freak."

"Do you consider yourself attractive Chelsea?" Anna asked, the smile never leaving.

Sarah snorted in amusement.

Chelsea glared at her then turned back to Anna, "More than you, Wednesday Adams."

"Then you'll be interested to know that in Aztec times, attractive people were sacrificed to their gods. Guess you're lucky too."

Chelsey looked confused for a moment. Was that a compliment or an insult.

Sarah snorted again. Why was Anna so weird with her comebacks?

Anna looked up and waved to Mark as he walked in. They had split up earlier because he needed to meet with his friends about something.

He came to sit in the seat behind her. He glanced at Chelsea who was still staring at Anna in confusion. After a moment, the girl looked miffed and went to her desk with a scowl.

"I miss something?"

"Nothing," Anna said with an impish smirk.

A couple of other boys, Mark's friends, came just as the bell rang.

"Hey dude," John said sitting next to Mark.

"Hey, man." Mark said slapping John on the back, "How was it?"

"Remind me never to let a chick drag me into planning a dance again, no matter how hot they are," John groaned, putting his head on the desk sharply.

A brunette across the room looked up and snapped, "Hey you volunteered!" Grace glared at her friend, ignoring how he called her 'hot.' He never meant it and was dating her sister anyway.

"I could say 'I told you so,'" Mark said.

"But I'd punch your teeth out."

"And I'd knock you to the ground."

"True."

Anna opened her mouth to ask what they worked on for the dance but was interrupted as their teacher arrived.

"Alright, get to your seats, everyone."

The teens grudgingly cut their socializing short and got to their seats as the teacher started to drone on about the demonic arts of trigonometry.

Things were pretty normal until lunch hour.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back," Anna said, "Save me a seat?"

"Pumpkin List?" the group of friends all said at the same time.

Anna had the decency to look insulted, "How dare you! I'm not _always_ looking to cause mayhem!"

"Sure you are," Mark said knowingly

"And you better not forget it." Anna laughed before darting away.

She got to her locker and immediately noticed another group of teens watching. She rolled her eyes. It was like she always had an audience this month.

"Hi. Rick," she murmured to the skinny older teen with the locker next to hers.

"Sup," the pimply eighteen-year-old said.

She opened her locker and…

"AHHHH!" another girl who was walking behind her at that moment screeched as a dummy with a gory plastic clown mask swung out from the back of the locker as Anna pulled the door open, fake plastic claws scratching against Anna's face.

Even Rick jumped back and swore. And he was a guy who likes horror movies for date night.

Anna stared face to face with the prank, inspecting it for a moment, having not reacted at all.

"This is the best you can do?" Anna said, unimpressed, looking over her shoulder at the suddenly disappointed teens who were watching her from afar.

"Told you it wouldn't work," one of the four boys snarled as his friends swore and frowned.

"Better luck next time," Anna said. She reached into the back and disconnected the dummy from her locker and tossed it toward the guy.

He caught it with a scowl and walked away as students laughed at him and his friends.

"Those guys still sore about you stealing their crowns?" Rick said.

Anna eyed him as he stuffed what she thought was cigarettes into his pocket.

"What crown? I've always been the pranking queen," Anna said, "They're just mad I finally came into the spotlight when I came to high school."

Rick rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

As he closed his locker, Anna caught a glimpse of candles and a couple antique books.

"What are you working on?"

"Senior history project and none of your business."

She shrugged as he walked away.

He was right, it wasn't any of her business what creepy stuff the older teen got into. They weren't even friends. She was just a bit concerned.

Rick was suspended for a week last year for setting a fire in the basement with his friends. Then rumors started popping up when the administrators found, and quote, "demonic stuff."

As a Christian, Anna wanted to stay as far as possible from "evil sorcery" that dealt with demons and such. She believed it was real, but kept her interest to history books, legends, and storybooks.

She dropped a couple crickets into the pet carriers she brought.

"Soon," she whispered with a grin while a student nearby glanced at her in concern.

* * *

"Your girlfriend's a bit of a weirdo," John said.

"Don't talk about her like that."

"Why not? She's fine with it."

"But I'm not."

"Okay. Fine." John waited until Sarah, Grace, and the others went ahead. "Dude, are you _sure_ about tonight?"

"Yeah. We already talked about this. Stop trying to talk me out of it."

"I just think you're making a mistake, Mark. I mean come on! There's lots of fish in the sea."

"So? I already asked her dad last week and talked to him today."

"You not even graduated. I mean, what if you're out, I don't know, _window shopping_ with her one day and this hot chick walks by and…"

"Then I'll ignore her."

"You sound like a girl who reads romance novels."

"You're a jerk." Mark crossed his arms as both boys ignored the sea of high schoolers pushing their way around the two basketball players.

"This is stupid Markie-boy. What if you learn something about each other in a couple years that you can't stand? Huh? What if you wake up one day and realize you don't actually like her?"

"Not going to happen."

John shook his head in frustration.

"Look, John, you're my best buddy. You've always had my back. Could you just trust me on this?"

"You're about to ruin your life before even graduating. Of course, I have your back." John shoved him lightly.

"Whatcha boys talking about?"

Mark and John both jumped in shock and looked behind them to see that Anna had walked up on them without them knowing.

"N-nothing!" Mark stammered. "N-nothing at all Charmer."

Anna tilted her head suspiciously. "Uh okay? Let's go. The cook said she made me a birthday cake."

"R-right…" Mark said. He held Anna's hand while John walked behind them. Mark could feel his buddy glaring daggers into the back of his head.

* * *

Finally, the last class of the day came.

History class was always Anna's favorite. She was a storyteller and the teacher, a younger woman by the name of Christine Northrop, always taught regarding stories. She hadn't been at the school long, only about a year. This was her first year as Anna's teacher.

Christine always tried to keep their attention on the subject, pulling them into the history and striving to make her students understand what the people were going through with stories that painted a picture.

"Afternoon guys!"

"Afternoon Ms. Northrop," the class chorused, some groaning as they wished the day was over already.

"Is everyone ready for Halloween?"

There was an enthusiastic cheer from the students.

"Alright. Alright!" Ms. Northrop snickered as she jumped up to sit on her desk. "What about the Souling Race? Show of hands, who's competing?"

Most hands shot up, Anna's first among them, much to Mark's amusement.

"Okay, so I know it's kind of a town tradition but would someone mind explaining it to me? I haven't been here long enough."

There was a round of chuckles from the students.

"Anyone?"

"It's kind of Anna's thing," someone from the back quipped.

"Yeah. The weirdo wins every year."

Anna chuckled softly.

"How so Anna?" the teacher asked.

"I've never stamped another person's card."

"…I need a little more than that."

"Well, it's like a big game of hide and seek except you're trying to scare other people. We sneak around the woods wearing black clothes or our Halloween costumes," Anna explained. "Everyone gets a punch-card at the entrance, and every time you get a scare out of someone, they have to stamp your card. If someone scared you, it's vice-versa. And you have to keep track of which cards you stamped. In the end, if you want to be in the competition you have to turn your card in, and the judges tally the points. Then they announce the high scorers and ask if anyone wants to contest the scores."

"What does that mean?"

"Anyone can contest the high scores saying that that person stamped their card. They have to prove it, and if they can, then the judges subtract ten points for each contester from the high scores. Then there's a final tally and the winner is announced."

"And you've always won?"

"The years I've competed. I haven't every year. I've scared everyone in this room at least three times, and I've never stamped anyone else's card."

Christine looked impressed, "Hm. What's your secret?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret."

"Heh. I hear it's also your birthday Anna."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Happy birthday! You must really like Halloween then."

Anna nodded.

"Funny. I'm a Holiday baby too. Christmas. I'm sure you'll like the lesson today," Ms. Northrop then addressed the whole class. "Okay, everyone. We're taking a break from the usual stuff. Since we're letting out early today, this is going to be a short lesson about Halloween. How many of you carve pumpkins for Halloween?"

Most hands went up again.

"Do any of you know where that tradition came from?"

Mark looked toward Anna but was surprised when she looked confused. That was weird. Anna was crazy about Halloween most of the time, so it was strange for her not to know.

Students looked around cluelessly.

"Learn something new every day I guess," Christine murmured, "Well you all at least know they're called Jack O' Lanterns right?"

There were nods this time.

"Phew. Okay well, the Jack O'Lantern story is ancient, and there are many different versions. For example, in Scotland, the story is similar to the main one, except they called it the Will O'the Wisps. And those were usually magical lights that would guide lost travelers. Now Jack O'Lanterns are similar in that they are supposed to guide lost travelers. Usually. However, both Lanterns and Wisps typically offer guidance to lost souls rather than the living. Ghost. Spirits. Souls lost to wander without a way to move on. The guiding lights promise home and safety for those departed."

"The story goes that a man named Jack made a deal with the Devil, but it didn't go well for him."

There was a gasp as Anna dropped her pencil in surprise.

A couple students looked at her weirdly.

Mark only sat straighter in shock and confusion.

Christine glanced at the teenagers questioningly for a moment before continuing.

"Jack was a thief and murderer who was so wicked that Satan decided to collect early. Jack was traveling down a road by himself one day when a beggar man came up behind him out of nowhere. They talked for a while before the Devil revealed who he was and told Jack that he was there to drag Jack to Hell. Jack laughed at him saying he didn't believe what the man said. Now at that moment they were passing an apple orchard. Jack mocked Satan, saying that a weak beggar like him couldn't even climb a tree to reach a few measly apples, let alone drag a man like him to Hell."

Anna was a slight bit pale now as she stared ahead in confusion. She glanced at Mark who just stared wide eyed and opened mouth before shaking his head.

Sarah noticed her friend's expression. Was…that fear on Anna's face. No. It couldn't be. Anna literally couldn't be afraid. So what was it? Anna could panic, that was a separate part of her brain. But she never panicked either. She `actually just looked intensely confused. About what? It was just a silly story.

"The Devil, who was very prideful, took the challenge, climbing the tree in a couple seconds, throwing a few apples at Jack for good measure. He intended to come back down immediately and drag the impetuous mortal to Hell with him. However, Jack was a brilliant man. He may have been wicked, yet he was very shrewd. He reached forward and quickly scratched a cross into the tree with a dagger, preventing Satan from coming down. Jack made the man promise to never take his soul to Hell or else he would leave him up in the tree forever."

"Satan angrily promised, and Jack scratched out the symbol. The man in the tree immediately disappeared, and Jack went on his way, proud to have bested Satan himself.

Christine glanced at the clock. They were being let out almost an hour early, so she only had a few minutes.

"Years later, Jack finally died. He went to Heaven and asked to come in, but they wouldn't let him, saying his evil deeds were too great. Jack didn't know where to go so he searched for the gates to Hell. When he eventually found them, the Devil was waiting for him. He smiled at Jack and said that Jack brought this on himself because he was going to uphold their deal and not allow Jack inside. Now Jack as a spirit was freezing and begged to be let in, but the Devil wouldn't have it. He kicked Jack out, throwing an ember at the man in anger."

Anna listened in rapt attention, green eyes fixed on her teacher.

"Jack with nowhere to go and nothing to light his way in the dark took the ember and carved a lantern out of a turnip."

A boy snorted, "A turnip?"

"A turnip," Anna repeated quietly.

"Yes. Pumpkins didn't become popular until Europeans came to the Americas and found that pumpkins were easier to hollow and carve. Anyway, Jack used the ember to light the lantern, and the legend goes that he still wanders the world today. Some stories say he haunts the nights, telling his story to unsuspecting listeners as a warning. Others say that over the years he gathered other lost souls, offering them guidance and community so that they can move on themselves eventually. Others are darker, saying he became a demon himself, going insane from the loneliness and hunts for his own victims on Halloween night, ripping their flesh RIGHT OF THEIR BONES!"

The teacher jumped forward with a shout, making some teens jump while earning a few eye rolls and chuckles.

The bell suddenly rang, startling students who had listened intently to the story.

"Hey, perfect timing," Christine said.

"That's it?" Anna said, incredulously as her classmates excitedly packed up to leave school early.

"Well, that's the basic story."

"What about his son?!"

"His son?" Christine looked at Anna in confusion as Mark and Anna followed her to her desk.

"Did he have a son?"

"Um. I suppose he might have. It's just an old made up story Anna. Details change. You could tell the story with him having a son if you want. It a hundred years, it might even be the popular version."

"But…"

"Anna we should probably go," Mark said taking Anna's wrist and pulling her out of the classroom, "Thanks, Ms. Northrop. Loved the story."

"Glad you enjoyed it…" the woman said, her brows knit in confusion at her students' strange behavior.

Anna protested for a bit, and Mark waved politely as they left, the last ones out of the room.

"What was that for?!" Anna snapped, pulling her wrist out of Mark's hand as they stopped down the hall a ways. Dozens of teens passed them on their way to leave. "That story's just like my dream Mark!"

"I don't think she knew the same story as your dream. She did say it was an ancient legend."

"But still!"

"Anna, you probably heard the story somewhere before, and it came back as a dream with Halloween season starting."

"Mark I swear, I have never heard that story before today," Anna said vehemently.

"I'm just saying…"

"I know what you're saying!" she shouted.

Students stopped what they were doing to stare. A few people started whispering.

Anna ducked, embarrassed.

"Sorry…"

Mark frowned, "No you're right. If you never heard it, then I believe you. It's just… a little weird that the stories sound so similar."

"Yeah." Anna looked down.

"Hey," Mark put a hand to the side of her face and made her look at him.

She smiled and leaned into his hand instinctively.

Mark stalled at those emerald green eyes for a moment. "I know you aren't afraid Charmer. But I know things can frustrate you when you don't understand them. Don't let it. I'm sure it's nothing. Kay? Yeah, it's weird, but sometimes things are just that. Weird. Let's just enjoy tonight okay? You're going to kick butt at the Race, and I get to take the most beautiful girl in the world to dance for her birthday. This is going to be the best night of your life."

"Whoa. Slow down. A little exaggeration there Roman. Sure, tonight is going to be awesome, and I only turn sixteen once, but labeling it as the best is a little premature," Anna said softly.

"Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

"You're not planning a surprise party, are you? You know how that's going to work right? I can't exactly appreciate the effort."

"Oh, ye of little faith. You're just going to have to wait."

She kissed him. "I can do that." The black-haired, green-eyed girl smirked.

Mark shrugged with a mischievous grin, "Awesome."

He look up in confusion at the sounds of alarm clocks going off. What?

Anna grinned as some kids glared at her. Really? That was her prank?

Suddenly, there were multiple screams of terror as dozens of people simultaneously opened their lockers to get to the annoying ringing and buzzing. There were startled shouts and screaming from classrooms as teachers opened their desks at the similar sounds coming from their workplaces.

Within a couple seconds, the entire school echoed with the beautiful symphony of alarm clocks and panicked screeching.

"What the..." Mark looked around in confusion wondering why grown men were jumping out of classrooms stomping at the floors.

"KILLITKILLITKILLIT!" Chelsea screamed while she climbed on top of a chair that was somehow in the hallway.

Meanwhile Anna was laughing so hard she almost couldn't breathe.

That was the day tarantulas were banned from the school...

"ANNA!" Sarah's shriek came from down the hall.

Anna lost it in a fit of giggles

* * *

 **Hm. I wonder what Mark's planning. Or planned. I'm all over the place with this timeline! :P Also I went back and updated the end of the chapter remembering the spiders. Oops. Sorry if you already read this chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9: Personal Space

**Hellow!** **Corona Pax here!** **There were no takers for speculation on where this story is going to go. That's alright! I enjoyed writing this chapter. I really like writing Jack by the way. Random thought of the day: how feasible is it for me to attempt a web comic of this? Rhetorical question by the way.**

Chapter 9

Personal Space

* * *

 _Laughter reached her senses._

" _Auntie_ _, you're so silly!"_

" _Ooh, Anna! I got a question! What was it like when you first came the Halloween?"_

" _That was a very long time ago Sweets," I said as I helped Sally set the table, using my tongue to pick the candy corn off my teeth distractedly, "I'm a lot different now."_

" _How?"_

" _I was scared of everything, for one thing…"_

" _You?! No way!"_

 _Sally snickered._

" _Oh shut up," I snapped at her playfully. "I didn't really know what fear was at the time. I was pretty unstable…"_

" _She really was. Irrational and rational mixed up all over the place. It was a wonder she didn't snap earlier or worse than she did, especially knowing what we know now."_

* * *

Helgamine woke to find the skeleton sitting alone at the kitchen table. It was early morning, an ungodly hour for monsters. They usually stayed awake for days at a time and slept very little. When they did, it was often during morning hours with the afternoon onward being the busy times of the day.

"Hello. Horrid morning is it?"

Anna jumped, hitting her knee on the table. She winced and looked up. "Oh, it's morning?"

One thing she learned from the party the previous night was that the creatures in this world spoke oddly. It was English, mostly, but they twisted it around with strange figures of speech and an odd bit of Latin here and there.

How long had she been sitting there? She had been unable to fall back asleep when the witches had guided her back to their house. She tried for maybe an hour before giving up and exploring her room. There was really nothing exciting there. Then she went downstairs as quietly as she could and sat at the table studying her bones. While trying to figure out how to get home…

The witch cackled at the lost expression on the skeleton's features. Poor girl still had a ridiculous amount of fear floating around her like a dark cloud. Surely the party should have dispelled most of it.

Anna crossed her arms insulted at the laughter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Anna!" Helga giggled, she reached far up to pat Anna on the shoulder. "I should have expected you couldn't sleep, what with being unconscious almost all day yesterday. I hope you kept yourself busy."

Anna flinched at the touch and edged away, but forced a smile, "I would have, but I wasn't sure if it was okay for me to touch anything…" she gestured to the books on a nearby shelf.

"So, you've been sitting here idle all night?" the witch withdrew her hand upon noticing Anna's reaction.

"Well nooo," Anna admitted, "I was trying to take apart my hand and put it back together. I got the fingers off before it hurt too much…."

"Practice makes perfect."

"I don't see how that kind of pain just….goes away."

"Oh, it won't. Not really. You'll just get used to it."

"You're not going to…do something like rip me apart are you?"

Helgamine chuckled, "Not unless you ask someone too. But accidents happen, especially with a body such as yours. I'm sure you'll have more than a few mishaps. Jack probably could help you more than I could. What else did you do last night?"

"… I may have annoyed the eyeballs?" Anna cringed as she looked at the jar of eyeballs next to her. They followed her movements eerily.

"I meant to remind Zelda to put those up… And for future reference, if something is locked away—actually locked up, mind you, and not just in a cupboard—you shouldn't touch it. Otherwise, I doubt anything in here could harm you."

Anna raised a brow ridge, "L-like?" Lovely. Her stupid stutter was back.

Helga handed her a sprig of a dried plant that was on the table, which Anna took hesitantly. She was shaking slightly, to her annoyance.

It was like she had two minds. One that seemed scared of everything (what a bizarre feeling) and another that recognized the fear as irrational.

But was it? Irrational?

"This is Clotburn. It doesn't exist in the Real World anymore and went extinct before a proper name could be given. My mentor named it. It's extremely deadly to humans. A single touch and they could fall into a coma in ten days and die. If they know they've been poisoned before then, there's a chance of survival, though slim."

The girl dropped the plant with a gasp and pulled her hand away as if it burned.

"But it's perfectly safe to you and has a delightful ginger-like flavoring. I put it in my cider to add a little spice."

Anna stared at her for a moment. "I don't know how to respond to that." She frowned, "I'm usually not emotionless like this. Normally, I'm a loud person. But I'm having a hard time processing…everything…"

"I sense that about you," Helgamine agreed wholeheartedly, "You've got a bright aura around you. You seemed caught up in the excitement last night at least. Regardless, I suspect it will be a couple days before you feel more like 'yourself.' A fair number of newcomers come across as emotionless until everything sinks in."

"Death you mean," Anna scoffed, "Until death sinks in."

"Yes dear."

"I don't like the idea of being dead. I feel different…but not…dead. This isn't what I was expecting."

"Give it a bit. It'll grow on you."

"Like mold…" Anna muttered. She looked up in confusion at the chortling.

Helga's weird colored skin was flushed as she laughed. "That was a good one!"

"I hear laughter. It's giving me a headache," a rather angry voice snapped from down the hall. "Oogie's lair! It's too early for this!"

Helga grinned as Zelda poked her unbecoming nose into the room. "Oh, there you are! Zelda, listen to this. I told Anna here that being dead will grow on her and she said 'like mold.'"

Zelda snorted.

Anna's frown deepened. It really wasn't that funny…

Helga wiped a tear away, "Heehee! Oh, enough of that! We have a lot to do today."

Zelda groaned, "Harlequin's probably already up and about. Shame. I needed an excuse to sleep in."

"Which one is Harlequin again?" Anna asked, embarrassed. She could barely remember anyone's name from the previous night.

"He's got those moving horns and a mouth that goes all the way around his face."

"Oh, he seems…passionate."

"Dear, you have no idea."

* * *

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" Harlequin fussed the moment the three females walked into his tailor's shop. Sally wasn't in yet, which was rather disappointing, if expected. He couldn't see how anyone could rest with such excitement in town.

Anna stopped and stifled a scream.

Seriously?

She hadn't seen him when first walking in. She had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from letting out the scream. Yet the witches merely pushed her forward with their brooms.

She still wasn't quite steady on her feet and stumbled.

"Um…sorry?"

The monster sighed and glared at her. About screaming or coming in late? One of those was fashionable and flattering. The other not so much. "I suppose it couldn't be helped. I was almost late opening. Even a genius like myself needs a little beauty rest."

Anna looked down at the witches. Was this guy for real?

"Genius?" Zeldabourne said without a moment's thought.

" _Beauty_?" Helgamine rolled her eyes.

Harlequin scoffed, "Uncultured swine."

Anna snickered.

"Just how old are you all?" she prodded at their childishness.

"Not old enough to appreciate Harly's sense of humility," Zelda sighed.

"What humility? I think you mean humor," Helga added.

"Hmmph. What can I do for you, Anna?"

Anna glanced around the shop filled with disproportionately designed creepy mannequins and bolts of fabric of various dull colors.

"Heh…I think I need clothes."

"Well of course you do! It would be a crime to have to walk around in a nightgown all day! Although, I suppose you could pull it off if you tried. Samara certainly pulled off a similar look. And you have the form for it."

"Uh, thanks…I think?"

The monster stepped back to look her up and down. "Hold your arms out and give us a turn, miss."

Anna did as instructed, a small grimace growing.

"Do you like dresses or shirts and pants, Anna?" the much shorter monster asked.

"I actually didn't wear dresses that often," she said, "I always expected to do something strenuous every day. Not against them, though."

Harlequin and the Witches all shared a glance.

"And, pray tell, when _did_ you wear dresses?" Zelda asked, an odd look on her face as she recalled that moment from the previous night when Anna mentioned being from the US.

Anna tilted her head in confusion, not quite grasping what they were so worried about. "Church. Formal events. Whenever I felt like looking nice?"

"Ah. Well, have a look around the shop for the fabric you like while I work on some designs for you." Harlequin picked up a poorly bound sketchbook and pencil.

She looked around, not sure where to start before wandering to a table with many different shades of oranges.

She tripped on a table leg as she turned.

The adults tried not to laugh…. actually, they didn't care.

They laughed. Loudly. Shrieking like banshees with their weird laughs.

Anna hopped up swiftly and shrugged in embarrassment as they laughed at her clumsiness.

Harlequin watched her, still laughing, and quickly drew a likeness of the skeleton girl in different poses as she walked away. Once he had enough, he started drawing a rough sketch of possible suit and dress ideas over the figures.

"We going to say anything?" Helgamine groused once Anna was out of hearing.

"Not my problem," Harlequin said in sing-song without looking up. His horns were tightly curled, which usually meant he was anxious.

"Do you think she remembers? Perhaps it is simply a habit to speak as such?"

"I don't know. Like I said, not my problem," Harlequin muttered.

"Does she know she's not supposed to remember anything?" said Zelda.

"Someone forgot to tell _her_ that," said Helga, "It's not like it's _dangerous_ that she seems to remember. Right? Just…uncommon."

They were quiet for a moment.

"I'm going to ask her," Zelda said bluntly.

"What?" both Harlequin and Helgamine said.

"How much she remembers."

"Zelda, no."

"Yes," with that she called across the room, "Anna dear?"

Anna jumped, though she didn't yelp this time, "Sorry, yes?"

"Do you remember much of being alive?"

Anna froze and shifted a bit, realizing that they wouldn't ask if she was supposed to.

"…"

"You're not in trouble, skelly!"

Anna let the spool of ribbon she was holding (not very well) slip from her fingers. She then came over, "Yes. I didn't at first. But I had a terrible headache when I woke up yesterday and…things…came back. The cat was there."

"What?!" the witches shrieked.

"He didn't say anything," Helga snapped.

"Hmmph, Jasper is getting Trouble's fish tonight."

Anna pursed her bony lips. "Should I be concerned?" She consciously decided not to question how they _talked_ to the cats. Or why she only saw one.

"We'll see," Zelda sighed harshly. She really wasn't sure if interviewing the girl was a good idea at the moment. Best to tell Jack first.

The little witch's response didn't relieve the lanky teenager's concern.

Harlequin didn't like the conversation.

Even Anna, who was still not used to their body language, could tell he wanted to just change the subject.

"Ladies, let's not worry about that now," Harlequin stressed, "Now, let's get a few of your measurements Anna."

Anna's eyes widened. She stepped back and put her hands up, "Uh…I've always made my own Halloween costumes when I was alive…"

The monsters seemed a little giddy at those words. They loved it when humans made their own costumes. Such creativity! It was a sure sign that they enjoyed the holiday enough to put such effort into their guise. It was entirely unsurprising that a Halloween Citizen would do so while alive.

"I can take my own measurements," Anna suggested nervously.

Harlequin's horns twitched as he wordlessly picked up an old, black, scuffed-up measuring tape and handed it to the girl.

Anna tried to take it, careful to not let their fingers touch, but she didn't have the dexterity necessary and it slipped from her weak fingers.

Helgamine caught the ribbon-like tape before it hit the ground, "It's alright, dearie. Harlequin's a professional. He wouldn't do anything inappropriate."

Harlequin looked incredible miffed at the implication, but bit his tongue (a feat in itself) and gave Anna a strict nod.

"If it's because he's male, then we can wait until Sally gets in," Zeldabourne suggested cautiously.

You never know with newcomers…

Violent deaths and all…

Anna was about to agree. That would buy her some time at least. Yet the bell above the door rang.

"Oh, hello," Jack and Sally said at the same time.

Anna's eyes locked on Jack again. She realized it was probably because he looked familiar to her skeleton mind, but she felt a little more comfortable with him standing just in the doorway. That and well…she could remember those dreams she had. The ones about how Jack died... It was Jack in those _visions_ right? Of course…

She may be taking a while to adjust to the oddness of being a skeleton, but she was no idiot. It didn't take much to realize the dreams she had before she died weren't a coincidence.

The quince tree and the Devil. Jack being kicked out of Heaven. Did this mean that legend was true? That her dreams were real.

He left his son Jamie?

She didn't want to ask. She wasn't sure it was alright to trust any of them. She just had to play along for now… and deal with the recently acquired fear. She had their perception of her being a naive monster going for her. Probably.

It really wasn't much of an act, though. She really was trying to figure out how this world worked.

"Is something wrong?" the rag doll lady Anna met last night asked, tilting her head in a similar way to Anna, though her version made her look a little… lopsided?

"I…er…um…" Anna stuttered.

"Anna seems a little nervous about letting someone take her measurements," Helgamine said.

"Oh."

"We thought it be more comfortable for her if you did it," Harlequin said.

"Of course," Sally nodded, "Would that be okay, Anna?"

Anna ground her teeth together.

They seemed to take her silence as an affirmation.

Sally walked up while Jack closed the door behind him. The rag doll took the measuring tape and gestured to a curtained off room toward the back.

"We'll just go back-." Sally reached out to guide Anna.

"No."

The monsters blinked at her if they had eyelids. Or didn't.

Sally smiled kindly, "Alright then, we can just-."

Anna let out a sharp, very monster-like hiss and slapped Sally's hand away as it brushed her arm. "DoN't tOucH mE."

Sally winced at the tug on her stitches as Anna backed up, looking at them distrustfully.

Jack straightened and immediately came forward, checking Sally for tears.

"And we were doing so well," Helgamine groaned.

"Anna, please calm down," Zeldabourne sighed, coming forward.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Jack stepped over Zeldabourne, putting himself between the skeleton and the witch. He stood like a gentleman, hands behind his back and a smile on his skull, apparently unconcerned with Anna's display of aggression.

Anna hissed again, briefly looking surprised at the sound before shaking her head. She didn't notice the first one. She crouched defensively, her spindly form conflicting with the nightgown.

What was she doing?! She couldn't help it. One moment she's trying to get out of an awkward situation, the next she was rattling her bones desperate to not let anyone touch her. It was beyond her usual personal space concerns.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle at the light clanking sounds. He found the rattling rather endearing. He stepped closer.

She barely noticed her canine teeth growing longer as she glared at him.

"I want to go home," she snapped without thinking, slinking back.

Jack crouched as if speaking to a child. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Miss Anna."

"I don't care. I want to go now!"

"You seem to not grasp the meaning of 'not possible' young lady."

"I need to go."

"Why?"

She froze, glancing away for a moment. She probably just ruined her only chance at escaping. Would they help? They wanted her here. Of course they wouldn't.

"You're not a prisoner here Anna," Jack assured with a light accent. "You _can_ decide not to stay here. But the REAL world is a very dangerous place for a wandering soul. It's not possible for you to go back to what you're calling home simply because it can't exist as your home anymore. So do you still have a reason to leave?"

Anna flinched. That lost memory that she knew was there was bugging her. She couldn't open it up, she just knew that was the memory of how she died. Details were nonexistent. There were only feelings. Everything else was blocked out.

She moved out of her crouching position, sitting back until she was underneath a worktable, her back against a corner. She hugged her knees and stared stubbornly ahead.

"I see. Would you all mind giving us a moment?" Jack asked, understanding of the skeleton teens sudden display of immaturity.

"You sure Jack?" Sally asked as she tightened her shoulder stitching.

Jack just nodded.

"Kicked out of my own shop. Disgraceful," Harlequin muttered as the witches dragged the peeved monster out with them, Sally following.

Jack noticed the faint purple glow that flashed from within her sockets and steeled himself. This was going to be a poor choice on his part. He needed to distance himself from her, not this!

Damn it, Jack!

He couldn't just refuse to not help calm her down. What kind of King would he be if he didn't look out for the well-being of all his subjects? Even those not yet official.

Even her.

"How much do you remember?" Jack asked. Straightforwardness was probably the best bet.

"Everything," Anna admitted with a mumble.

"Hmm. My condolences."

Anna looked out at him from the shadows, "What? Why?"

"Most who come here came because they were meant for a second chance. But I've noticed that, while their souls were destined for Halloween, their lives don't tend to be the happiest. And even if they weren't human, their stories likely aren't the happiest either."

Anna didn't understand that last sentence. Stories?

"No. You got it wrong this time. My life wasn't bad. Far from it," she said, eyeing the taller skeleton with a little clearer head. "That's why this isn't fair."

"Life doesn't seem to be fair often. I fail to see why death should," Jack said dryly.

"I had my family. A fi…a boyfriend. And what scares me is that I don't know if they're safe," Anna put her head on her knees and covered her eyes. "I don't know what happened to me. But I know my younger brother and sister were there, and they were in danger. I can't remember if they're safe."

Jack glanced around to see if anyone could see him. The other adults were still outside.

He sat down entirely and crossed his legs, sitting directly across from Anna.

They sat in silence for at least five minutes while Jack considered something. It was risky, but this was a somewhat unique situation.

"Anna, if you could find whether they're safe without having to leave, would you consider staying, if only for a while at least?

Anna looked up. Her new eyeless sockets were more dead looking than the rest of her.

A part of her was curious. It wanted to stay here and explore this world so badly. It wanted to play and make friends with these interesting creatures she knew almost nothing about. It felt comfortable. _Alive_ if the case were. Like a piece of a hard-worked puzzle was lost for years only for the final piece to be found under the couch.

But another part protested. Anna didn't belong here. Something was wrong. Something was robbed from her. She couldn't stay.

"…When could I leave?"

"Ideally a year from now at next Halloween. However, I would have to ask for a few favors, but you could leave on any of the other Holidays if they let you go to the Real World with them."

"Other Holidays?" Anna said, sockets wide as the implications hit her.

"Oh yes! Halloween is but one holiday it appears. There are many others. Though I've found we only have direct access to a few neighbors. My second favorite is very exciting. A good friend of mine travels the sky on the 25th of December bringing toys and other gifts…"

"Christmas?"

"Why yes! You know it?"

"Of course I do," Anna looked at him oddly, "Why wouldn't I?"

Jack grinned a little uncomfortably, "That ties to a story for later perhaps. But I'm sure Sandy Claws would be willing to let you use his holiday to go where you need to. Maybe. He's…ah…rather cross with me presently."

Anna blinked, the bone around her sockets clicking. Sandy Claws? If that's what Jack called Santa (who's real too evidently), then she wasn't surprised that Christmas was at odds with Halloween.

"And the other Holidays?" Anna asked curiously.

"Hmm. Well, their leaders may need a little more convincing. The other Holidays don't seem to like us for some reason," Jack frowned. Then he smiled optimistically. "We have a plan to work on that. But if leaving is what you really decide you want, I'm sure I can work something out."

Anna was quiet for a long moment.

Jack sat patiently. She certainly wasn't the worst newcomer he dealt with.

Ironically, her next words were, "Is this…a deal?"

Jack shook his skull sharply. "No. I _never_ make deals of this sort. I don't wish to trick you."

Anna noticed his eyes glanced away for a moment.

"It's completely up to you if or when you leave. I'm _requesting_ that you at least give us a chance."

Anna brought her hand up and stared at the fleshless fingers. Several emotions flickered within her dark circles of eyes. Curiosity. Sorrow. Fear.

She clenched her hand and looked at the Pumpkin King. "I think I can do that…"

"Excellent!" Jack said with a wide grin. "Now, I know why you want to leave, but I'm still not sure why you shied away from contact. Sally certainly isn't in the habit of biting people."

Anna flinched, "Eh…I-I don't know."

"Hmmm. You're a bad liar, Miss Anna."

Anna looked at him embarrassed. "I'm not completely sure. I kept getting weird…surges…of…of…"

"Fear?"

"I…I…am not used to fear…."

"I'm not quite sure I understand."

"When I was alive. I couldn't feel fear. It was physically impossible for me to do so."

"Fascinating," Jack said, sockets wide with interest.

"If you…say so Mr. Skellington," Anna said. "I never panicked. Never gasped in surprise. Never jumped. Never was startled. It…is not pleasant to be doing so all the time now!" She looked away, "I use to want to feel fear. I wanted to know what I was missing. But…it's scarier than I thought it'd be…"

"That's fantastic news! It's about time that was fixed!"

Anna sputtered. "What?"

Jack cackled gleefully, "Anna, I can't imagine being in such a world where fear doesn't exist to me. What a sparkless existence!" Before she could protest, he took her hand and pulled her out from under the table. "Here, every single one of us is a personification of fear. How can we be something without feeling it?"

Anna frowned as she steadied herself and pulled her hand away, "I don't understand. I don't know how people live like this. I kept thinking everything could be dangerous. It's just getting in the way."

Jack looked…well, not pleased, but like he had a clearer perception of her. "You'll understand eventually."

She didn't like that smug grin of his.

Jack turned to the door, and she hurried to keep up.

"How will you let me see my family?"

"We can use the witches' cauldron to have a peek," Jack explained as he opened the door for her, "Ah, Helgamine we…."

The witches were glaring at Jack while Harlequin took a step back and Sally sighed with a sharp "I told you so" tone. Clearly, they were trying to eavesdrop.

"Have a peek at _what_ , Jack?" Helgamine asked.

Hmm. Guess they didn't hear much.

"He said I could see if my brother, sister, and uh…boyfriend are all right," said Anna quickly.

Sally was very curious all the sudden.

The witches looked surprised and perplexed.

Harlequin didn't have it any better.

"Ah. Well… anything for you, Jack," Zeldabourne frowned.

As the others walked away toward the center of town, whispering to one another, Jack stopped Anna.

"Anna wait."

Sally looked up questioning at him from his side while Anna stopped short and turned.

"Yes?"

"We usually have strict rules concerning our past lives," Jack said seriously, raising a bony finger for emphasis. "We _never_ go searching for what happened to us if we don't already know. It's dangerous and can lead to too much unnecessary grief. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"I hope you do. I'm only allowing this because you already claim to remember everything else about your life. Thus, I suspect having such a serious gap in your memory would do more harm than good at this point. But hear me and understand what I say right _now_."

Anna nervously fixed her sockets on his own, holding her skeletal hands defensively grasped at her sternum.

Jack leaned forward a little, making the younger dead creature shrink back and cringe. " _This_ is an exception, a one-time exception at that. I will _not_ tolerate attempting to influence events in the Real World through any means. I will not tolerate you hurting yourself by concerning yourself with matters you are no longer a part of. Even if you decide to leave, while in Halloween you shall reasonably keep matters and responsibilities of the Real World separate from this one. Finally, I will not tolerate any harm coming to my people through your direct actions. Am I clear?"

Anna shrunk back further and gulped. "Y-yes sir."

She stood frozen and stared at him like an animal trapped in a cage as he walked past her without another word, having said what he needed to.

It took her a moment to realize it was okay to move before she quick-stepped to pass him and catch up to the witches.

Sally sighed. "Oh, Jack…Maybe you were a bit harsh on her?"

He didn't answer.

"Jack?"

"Hm? What?"

"...You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Hehe. My apologies, my dear. I'm rather distracted."

" _We've_ noticed," Sally pointed out sweetly.

"Oh my, is it really that obvious?"

"You've acted strangely since Anna came. And she's only been here a day," Sally worried.

"A simple explanation! I'm utterly surprised about another skeleton," Jack lied through his crooked teeth with a silly grin, "How is your arm, Sally?" His voice took on a concerned tone.

"She just tugged the stitches. I'm fine…and even if she had torn it off we both know it's not a big deal."

" _She_ didn't know that."

"Exactly. So I'll say again. Maybe you were a bit harsh on her."

Jack didn't answer again, though Sally could see he was looking for something to say as he slowed his pace.

"Jack…you would tell me if something was wrong. Right?"

"Of course."

Sally frowned as they walked together behind the small group as they approached Anna's answers.


	10. Chapter 10: Flashpoint

**Hello, Dearies. I hope you enjoy. I know I did. I might be a bit of a sadist. =)**

Chapter 10

Flashpoint

* * *

It was a short walk to a small pavilion in the corner of the town square, under which sat a large black cauldron almost identical to the one in the witches' kitchen.

The Mayor, upon seeing the group make their way across town, hastily caught up to speak with Jack. It was November 2nd for goodness sake! They needed to get to work. He could understand everyone being tired with how eventful the last two days were, but there was no real excuse for slacking off on anyone's part.

"So…how does this work?" Anna said eyeing the weird liquid in distaste. She apprehensively wrapped and unwrapped the ends of her ribbon belt around her hands.

"Simply focus on what you want to see. Or rather what you _need_ to see. Be sure you're looking for facts. We'll handle the rest," Helgamine said helpfully as she used her broom to start stirring.

Zeldabourne grunted, apparently not approving, but held her tongue. Not literally, though she could have done that too.

"…okay…" Anna muttered.

There was that terrible, irrational fear welling up again. It made Anna want to cringe but at the same time cry like a little child. This was ridiculous.

Jack watched for a moment before gesturing for the Mayor and Harlequin to move out of earshot with him. It would take a few minutes for Anna to figure out what to focus on and how.

Jack briefly explained just what rule he was letting Anna break, which of course threw the Mayor into a tizzy for a couple minutes.

The Mayor finally calmed down after Jack explained his reasoning. He still wasn't happy.

"Well, besides the obvious, is everything running smoothly, Jack?" the Mayor inquired.

"Of course it is," Jack exclaimed.

"Anna almost ripped Sally's arm off…" Harlequin said at the same time.

"What?!"

"She's fine Mayor," Jack assured. He grunted as he changed the subject, "Harlequin."

"Yes, Jack?" Harlequin said looking up at Jack's thoughtful expression.

"Is there any way to design her outfits without making Anna uncomfortable?" Jack prompted.

"Sounds like you _did_ have some trouble with her," the Mayor muttered.

Harlequin thought for a moment. "Well…I'm a designer, Jack. A tailor. An artist! But I-I need some numbers to work from. I've gotten rather good at guess work over the years, of course. But it will take longer."

"I see. What if you used me as a template and shortened the measurements slightly?"

"Hmm. That's a wonderful idea," Harlequin tapped his bottom row of teeth in thought. Heavens, why didn't he think of that? "I suppose I can adjust them each time she comes for a fitting." He looked up uncertainly, "But still, you and Anna…well, you're not exactly the same shape. She _is_ a…young woman, after all."

Jack blinked.

Harlequin blinked back. Jack was a brilliant man. Always so intelligent! Surely, he was joking. Of course, he was…

"And?" the Mayor said, "She and Jack look the same…"

The Harlequin Demon must have looked like a fish for a moment. The absurdity of…

The tailor in him was mortified! And not in a good way. "Are you blind?" he shrieked, getting right up to a confused Mayor's face. Was it confused? A part of him seemed to be acting. "She clearly has feminine features. Her hips are at least three inches wider than his! They're huge!" he snapped in his nasely voice, deciding in a single moment of clarity not to point out that the Mayor just practically said their King looked like a girl.

Silence laid down a thick blanket over the square for a long moment.

Harlequin froze while Jack tried to remain composed. Yet the skeleton man was shaking from holding his laughter. His nonexistent lips twitched as he gestured with a mischieveous nod toward their nearby audience.

Harlequin's horns wilted and he sheepishly turned his head toward the four females, three of whom were now glaring daggers at him from where they stood by the cauldron.

He didn't know what came over him.

The Mayor's face didn't switch around, which was suspicious. He was grinning too.

Anna stared at the tailor blankly, as if not quite processing what she heard.

Sally, Helga, and Zelda on the other hand…

"I uh…have some business to attend to." Harlequin squeaked as a fireball spell flew toward him, right before he turned into an inky shadow and disappeared into the ground, the fireball skimming across the pavement before dissipating.

Anna gasped, "How'd he do that?!"

"It's called fading, dear. You'll learn it eventu-."

"Get back here you bat-brained dingus!" Zeldabourne snapped into the air, conjuring another fireball.

"Witch Zeldabourne, drop it…" admonished Helgamine, her voice more grating than normal.

They went back to the scrying spell, Zelda muttered curses under her "breath" while eying Jack and the Mayor.

Jack leaned down and whispered, "You set him up for that didn't you, my friend?"

"He and I had a very passionate one-sided conversation yesterday. He was very frustrated with my 'lack' of knowledge about anatomy," the Mayor said dryly without switching his face.

"In other words, let's note that angering women is not a good idea."

Sally chuckled, coming alongside to take Jack's hand. "I think mentioning a lady's figure like that is calling for a _lesson_."

"Sally, my friend," Jack joked, "I believe the witches have had an influence on you. A year ago, you would have brushed his words off with laughter."

The rag doll laughed again. "I hope I haven't changed that much. I didn't attack him. I just figured Anna wouldn't like to be self-conscious of her appearance just yet. She just got here."

Anna didn't hear them. She still looked dumbstruck at the blatant display of magic and everyday weirdness.

"Anna." Helgamine waved the tall skeleton over.

Anna shook her head and forced herself to turn, only to start when Jack's hand came to her shoulder.

He immediately pulled away, having accidentally forgotten her avoidance of physical contact.

"Anna, I must warn you. You might not see what you want," he said gravely, "And you can't do anything about it. Remember what I said." He put one hand on a hip and raise one finger on the other hand to make a point. "Some of us are better off not knowing where we came from or what became of us."

Anna swallowed and nodded silently but leaned over the cauldron with the rest of them anyway.

The water was a strange murky tint for a couple seconds before an image started coming into view.

"What are you looking for Anna," Zeldabourne asked.

"A news report," Anna said. This was strangely easier than she thought it would be, which conversely made it harder not to let her mind wander. "Whatever happened to me…I doubt people simply went about their business."

" _Now back to our story,"_ a woman's voice said, proving Anna right as what appeared to be a TV news channel filtered through the veil that separated them from the Real World. " _Two days ago Tuesday, tragedy struck the small town of Yomen, Washington as a high school caught fire during the city's annual Halloween dance. Though the immediate danger has passed, we are still getting reports of casualties from at least five different hospitals."_

A burnt husk of a building was shown from a distance, still smoking. Firefighters, ambulance, and police covered the daytime foreground. Next to the live picture was a photo taken of the blaze itself that night.

"Oh God…" Anna whispered flinching.

" _However, there has been only one confirmed death…"_

The monsters all looked a little surprised at that.

" _High School Junior Annalise Grisholme was pronounced dead on arrival after firefighters finally managed to put the blaze out at 2 am Wednesday morning. Her family only released her name five hours ago. However, all eyewitness tell a similar, extraordinary story. We'll go to our field reporter Ken. What do you have for us, Ken?"_

The view shifted to a man standing in front of the live footage. There were crowds of people milling behind him about a hundred feet away, some staring at the building in horrified awe.

" _Well, to be honest, Mary, for the first time in my career I'll admit this one is hitting me hard."_ The reporter wore a professional jacket and was trying to keep a steady tone, but his voice cracked. _"Annalise Grisholme reportedly made it out with the majority of the students when they evacuated but r-ran_ back _inside against the orders of emergency responders…"_

"I did?" Anna asked.

The field reporter stopped for a moment and gripped his microphone.

Mary and her co-anchor saved him.

" _Thanks, Ken,"_ the man said. He motioned off screen. _"Let's pull up the video of the interview please."_

They then showed a video of an interview taken with a student Anna immediately recognized.

"Grace…"

John was standing next to Grace. His face blank.

" _She…um…"_ the girl was crying, _"She was walking around with the rest of us. S-some people were calling their parents. I…I-I was taking pictures, for the paper… But Anna and some of the other kids were looking for their brothers and sisters who came with them."_ She sniffled.

" _Anna couldn't find them. S-she…You have to understand…Anna doesn't freak out."_

The girl took a deep, yet shaky, breath.

" _She…she was the calmest one there, telling people to get into groups by names. Making people check who was there…but when no one could find Jillian and James. I-I don't know…she…snapped. We tried to tell her they were probably just in another group across the parking lot. B-but it was like…she just_ knew _they were inside. She tried to run back inside, but Mark and a cop tried to stop her."_

Anna whimpered and gripped the edge of the cauldron. She looked away and shut her eyes.

The other monsters looked at her in pity for a moment. Unfortunately, they couldn't do much. She asked for this.

" _She fought Mark,"_ John spoke up to the camera, _"She got away and dodged whoever tried to catch her. She didn't care. She got through the door, and two firemen were yelling at her to stop. They followed her. Mark tried to but..uh…the cop stopped him…"_

" _I-I don't know what happened inside...But a few minutes later the firemen came out with the kids but…"_ Grace cried, " _She…she…I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore...please."_

The video ended with the interviewer mumbling that is was okay as the camera panned away.

" _Jillian Grisholme and James Grisholme suffered a few second-degree burns and minor smoke inhalation lung damage, but sources say they will make a full recovery. They are currently unavailable for questioning, and the parents tell us they will not be scheduling time with us soon. The two firemen, who have requested their names not be given, have refused to comment. For now, the details of what exactly transpired inside the building are unknown. However, shortly after the eleven-year-olds were pulled to safety, there was an explosion, and a large part of the roof over a section of the school caved in," the male reporter said._

Anna didn't even seem to hear the last part. She breathed a strained sigh of relief and shakily sat on the ground, her back against the cauldron where she could still hear. "They're okay…"

The adult monsters ignored her for a moment, morbid curiosity drawing them to continue watching the news.

" _Annalise Grisholme's remains were recovered shortly after the fire chief deemed it safe to investigate. Preliminary investigation shows that the collapse was the likely cause of death,"_ Mary added.

Anna recoiled and grimaced at hearing that. "Ugh. That's not correct."

Leave it to a Halloween Spirit to be nit-picky about the details of their death.

"Can you remember now?" Jack asked, crouching down to where she sat. He had to remind himself that _she_ wanted this. He had to remind himself that she needed this. There was no point in trying to keep her from her own memories if she already knew everything else.

He hoped to God he was right. This was risky, and no justification could help.

No answer.

"Anna?" He looked at her listless expression, " …Alright, that is enough. Time to wake up. Turn it off, witches."

Darkness. No not darkness. Low light. And music.

There were the soft sounds of talking, but they were muted. Underwater. She was holding someone's hands.

Mark.

Heh. He looked so charming. And oddly nervous for some reason.

She wasn't sure what made them catch her eye, but she caught sight of the group of boys who tried to prank her locker with a dummy earlier.

She was angry at them. Why was she angry? That didn't make any sense.

They were over at the punch bowl laughing about something.

What were they doing? One had a backpack….why was he putting it under the punch table?

"Hey," Mark said, catching her attention, "We haven't been dating for very long, but we've known each other for most of our lives right?"

She grinned, still swaying in time to the music with him, "Hmm. I recall you hitting me for putting ice cream in your shoes."

"I was three…"

"Yet I remember."

"You only remember because your mom tells that story all the time."

"I also remember your mom spanking you for hitting a girl."

"Then I said, 'That's a girl?' And _you_ hit me."

They sunk into giggles, almost stepping on the feet of another couple.

"Oh, that's terrible," Anna sighed after a quick apology to the couple.

"We were really violent three-year-olds…" Mark chuckled, "M-my point is." He swallowed. "I think I've been in love with you since then."

"I'm pretty sure neither of us knew what love was then."

She frowned apologetically. "Sorry. I interrupted." Anna looked at him patiently waiting for him to continue.

Mark nodded gratefully, "I understand that we're only sixteen, so maybe we aren't mature enough to commit. We both want to go to different colleges and get jobs. Maybe we'll meet other people then."

Mark took a breath and laughed nervously. "Um…heh…this is a lot harder than I thought. W-well, when you first friend zoned me, you said that you took dating very seriously. That you'd only date with the intention to marry. That you'd be friends getting to know each other to see if you could live the rest of your lives together."

Anna smiled, "That vow of mine still holds."

"To be honest, I thought that was old fashioned. Kind of silly. Outdated," Mark mumbled. He took a moment to spin her around in time to the music. "But I respected that and didn't ask again until I thought I could hold up to that standard. Then you said yes."

Anna logically figured she should be nervous by now, but of course, that feeling didn't exist to her, so she just nodded.

"Then you showed up to the bowling alley in your mom's wedding dress," Mark deadpanned. "And somehow convinced Pastor Luke to turn up with your parents."

Anna burst out laughing at the memory of her first date with Mark. "We got so many weird looks. You didn't run away at least!"

"I was too shocked. Since we've been together for almost a year… I was wondering if I…right now…if we didn't have to worry about school and jobs and being adults….would you marry me? For real."

"I think I would."

There wasn't a hint of hesitation. She said it so matter of fact that any other boy would have been surprised at the bluntness.

Of course, he didn't expect her to be surprised. It just wasn't her.

Mark slouched in relief, glad to know he knew her enough to reasonably expect that answer.

"Did you think I'd say no?" Anna chuckled.

"Heh. A little. Sorry," Mark said, taking that moment to trip on his feet, "Ow!"

"Having trouble?" She had to catch him, which was difficult given that he was bigger, though not necessarily much taller.

"Haw haw. Laugh it up. My point is, I want to make you a promise." He gingerly fished something out of his pocket. "I already asked your parents…and my parents. I got their blessing. That's what I was talking to your dad about earlier this morning. So, my mom still has her wedding ring of course, but she did give me her engagement ring." He paused, "I want this to be my promise to you. I promise to officially ask you to marry me when we are ready."

Mark held up the ring, "I wanted you to keep it until we're ready. Would that be okay?"

Anna thought for a moment, her green eyes sparkling at the sight of the ring. It was a simple silver band with a small line of diamonds.

"Mark…"

"I'm not asking for an official yes," Mark said quickly. "I-I mean, I would like one, because I do plan on…uh…let me start…again…I uh…I love you?"

Anna laughed, continuing to dance. "Was that a question, Roman?"

"I love you. I want to marry you and if I weren't concerned about protecting you and caring for you and everything else my dad gave me a _very informative_ lecture on then I would take you to the courthouse right now and…"

"Lie about our age?"

"Well, that too. If you'll have me."

Anna smiled. She came closer.

She held out her hand, "Is that for me?"

Mark couldn't even say anything. He slipped the engagement ring on her finger without a word.

He breathe a sigh of relief. "Anna, maybe I should have started with this, but you are the most beautiful woman on this entire planet."

Anna smiled, "I'm pretty sure I just turned sixteen so…"

"You're definitely a woman. That's what I think. You are always so sure of yourself. You're a little weird sometimes but you always manage to pull off your shenanigans with grace. I don't know how. There isn't _anything_ I wouldn't do for you."

"Careful there," Anna snickered, "I might tell you to kill a man."

"If you of all people told me to kill a man, I'd trust that you had a reason."

Mark grinned at her snort. It was a joke, obviously, but he felt that he would, and _could_ , move Heaven and earth if it meant loving Anna. Yeah, other guys might thinks it's weird to commit to someone when you haven't dated many other people, but Mark knew what he was asking.

He was asking his girlfriend to marry him years in advance. He was asking her to wait. He was asking her to change her name, leave her parents, have their children (something that _really_ wasn't going to be on the horizon for a long time), and be the glue of their family _many_ years before either of them were ready. They both knew that. He was asking a lot and he knew that.

"Well…I'd like to point out that calling you my fiancé feels right and strange at the same time," Anna said.

"I don't think you have actually said 'yes' yet," Mark pointed out with an awkward laugh unbecoming of a young man hopelessly in love who practically just asked his girlfriend to marry him.

There was a mischievous smirk on her face, "Oh I know. I just like seeing you flustered." She looked up from the ring, looked him in the eye and very seriously said, with all the love she could put into her words, "I-."

Anna, the skeleton in the present, gripped her skull and shuddered.

No.

An explosion almost shattered her eardrums as a firework went off from underneath the punch table, showering the dancers in hot sparks and multicolored fiery rain. It was so loud.

She was briefly aware of some boys laughing about their prank as others scrambled to find fire extinguishers.

Then the tablecloth caught fire. Then the decorations. Then the stage curtains. It was too fast.

The sprinkler system didn't activate. The water was off. Anna knew because the water fountain wasn't working when she got tired of drinking punch earlier. She didn't think much of it.

That was strange. Suspicious even. Leave it for later, Anna. People need to get out first.

People were shouting, and their conversation was forgotten as Mark and Anna followed the crowd, Anna grabbing her book bag on the floor near a door without stopping.

Mark and some of his friends were trying to help some adults fight the fire. Someone threw the punch on the flames, but that didn't do much. They had to abandon their efforts.

There was smoke everywhere. The fire was going too fast.

Teachers were trying to maintain order, and those who were keeping an eye on the middle school and elementary kids were busy with a head count.

"Get outside first," Anna said over the shouting, somehow being the only one with the wherewithal to pull the fire alarm. "Heads down please."

She wasn't scared. What use was fear in a situation like this?

Then someone started running.

"James? Jillian?" Anna called over the head count and the sounds of desperate coughing.

Bodies pushed one another to get outside.

Anna coughed when she finally tasted fresh air a good distance from the school.

Someone screamed like an idiot right next to her.

She glared at them. "You. Quit it and make yourself useful."

The shaky teenage girl looked surprised and shut her mouth, "W-what?! T-the school is on fire! I left my schoolbag and my makeup kit-."

"Someone could be stuck inside dying, and you're worried about makeup." Anna was completely deadpanned.

The student gasped and looked down with tears

Other people were crying too. Why? Stuff was replaceable. The school can be rebuilt. People were injured but most of them seemed to be in shock.

Anna rolled her eyes, catching Mark a little way away. She glanced at the school behind her, thick smoke billowing out the first story.

"Mark!" She pushed through the crowd, dragging the surprised stranger behind her.

"H-hey what…"

"Mark!"

Mark jumped and looked around. "There you are," he said relieved. "Are you.."

"Yeah yeah I'm fine. Here," Anna roughly pulled out her Pumpkin List notebook and shoved it at him. "You two help the teachers keep thing organized. I'm going to look for James and Jillian. Everyone's names are in there. Use it to account for everyone."

She walked off, snapping at people for screaming for no reason while she kept her own voice down and asked around for her siblings. It would be no use to shout for them. They wouldn't be able to hear her over the noise anyway.

"Have you seen James?"

"No sorry."

"Is Jillian over here?"

"Nuh uh. Try Ms. Bird."

"Did my brother and sister come out?

With every "no" and "I haven't seen them" Anna began to feel…strange. Something was wrong. She figured that she probably would be panicking if not for her little "super power."

A flash of a cowboy costume and she quickly turned the frightened elementary student around to face her.

"Mommy!" the seven-year-old cried fearfully.

"Sorry, Joey," Anna said kindly to the kid she sometimes babysat, "I know everything is really loud and scary right now, but I need your help. What were you and the other kids doing when the big kids were doing the mushy kissy dancing?"

"W-we were playing hide-n-seek…"

Anna struggled with the pressure that was rising in her chest. She wasn't afraid, but there was something akin to panic.

"Joey! Who's turn was it?!"

"J-James," Joey sniffled. "Are you mad at me?"

"What? No, of course not," Anna assured, "Stay here okay? Your mommy is going to be here soon alright?"

Joey nodded, wiping his tears away.

"Hey hey, it's okay to be afraid. Fire is big and scary. But you're super brave, and that's what's important."

Joey nodded again.

Anna left after catching sight of some parents arriving.

She didn't think. She just ran.

She kicked off the heels she was wearing, they were just in the way, and made a beeline for the door they just came out of.

People were yelling for her to stop.

"Anna stop!"

That was Mark. He was with a police officer. They grabbed her arms.

She wasn't sure what she yelled at them, but she managed to wrestle away before they had a firm hold, tearing some of the lace on her costume. She darted toward the flames.

"Anna NO! Come back!"

"Come back!"

"Come back."

"Anna. Annalise! Wake up!"

She blinked at the small group of monsters gathered around her. That was all right. She knew what happened.

She stared at Jack for a moment and whispered, "Thank you…"

"I'm not convinced you should actually be thanking me," Jack admitted, looking at Anna socket to socket.

Anna was quiet for a moment before using the cauldron to stand up, making the other skeleton back up.

"They're okay. My brother and sister are okay… I ran in. They were playing hide-n-seek. Jillian had trapped herself in a closet and James was trying to get her out. I found them and broke the door. We were getting out but…."

* * *

A door fell off its hinges and fire spilled out of the door beside them.

Jillian gripped the back of Anna's dress tightly and held onto James' hand like a lifeline.

"Stay close," their big sister said, her voice strained. She struggled to ignore the pain from her bare feet. Blisters were already forming on the bottom as the heated floor attacked her skin.

"You have to get down Anna," James coughed, "The smoke…"

"It's not too bad here," she said shortly, but she did duck lower. Just a little farther…

The twins screamed as some of the ceiling gave out, blocking their path. But there was a hole with just enough space between the flames.

The skeleton flinched, "We had to be fast. I saw some firefighters coming toward us. I pushed Jillian through then James. They screamed and their clothes caught on fire, but the firefighter got there and smothered the flames. The fire was too big, and I couldn't make it through. The floor was giving way, and the firemen couldn't get closer. They had to get my brother and sister out. So, they had to leave me. I told them…"

"There's another fire exit down the other hall," Anna shouted at the two heavily protected men.

"No, stay here! Chief! We got the kids, but the girl is trapped," the man said into his radio.

"We have to pull out."

"You have your hands full," Anna said, then turned and ran the other way.

"KID! STOP!"

They couldn't follow as she disappeared from sight. They had no choice but to leave and carry the hysterical preteens outside.

"NO what are you doing!? Don't let her go!" Jillian shrieked.

"Anna! Please! Don't leave. ANNA!" James cried. He fought the fireman, struggling like the world was going to end if he didn't.

By the time they got outside, another large section of the roof had collapsed, and the fire chief had to make the call to not allow his men to go back in. It was too dangerous.

It was a decision he would feel guilt about for many years.

Anna was silent, but it doesn't take much to fill in the blanks.

"Smoke or fire?" Jack asked.

The other monsters weren't entirely sure what he meant. Except maybe Helgamine.

Anna did. She knew exactly what he was asking, "Fire. There was too much air. I could breathe fine." Her voice was hollow. Her voice cracked and felt like it painfully echoed around her skull . "There was no way out…I just…had to sit there while…"

She put her palms to her sockets.

"It took so long…" she wept.

She now knew just what Jack meant. She wouldn't wish these memories on anyone.

Jack sighed, every monster immediately making an effort to not crack a poorly timed joke. Death wasn't such a big deal to them anymore, no matter how terrible it was for them individually. They couldn't sympathize.

Well, actually they could, more than anyone possibly could, but they _wouldn't._

There was a difference between not caring about how you died and not _daring_ to care.

Some fears are better left untouched. A lesson Jack didn't intend Anna to learn quite yet.

Letting her remember how she burned to death was gnawing on his conscience. But he remembered why he allowed it.

"You were very brave."

Anna looked up in surprise. "W-what?"

"You sacrificed yourself for your brother and sister."

Anger flashed behind her sockets. "Bravery implies I was afraid in the first place. I wasn't." She looked at the ground. "I wasn't even afraid of them dying, and I would have lost them if I let fear touch me." She looked down again and whispered, "I lost them anyway."

"You think fear would have gotten in the way?" Jack guessed.

"I know it would have." Anna groused. "It's getting in the way now."

The Mayor hummed quietly. This wasn't good.

They all knew why.

A Halloween Citizen can't hate fear. They just can't. How can they be something they hate? The concept was too alien to them. Fear gets in the way? How could she say that?

Fear was many things. It was a healthy respect in certain situations, a life saver in others. It was fun. It was important. This was troubling.

Jack stiffened, his face clearly regretful.

"Anna dear," Zeldabourne said. "Would you like to learn how to scare humans?"

Anna looked confused. For her, this was a sudden change in subject. She glanced at Jack, remembering his request. Plus, she was intrigued

"Yes? I pulled some pretty good pranks when—."

She was interrupted by their cackling.

Sally's laugh was much nicer than the rest of them, by the way.

"Pretty good? Anna dear, you have so much to learn," Helgamine howled.

Anna looked miffed. They didn't even know what she could do.

"Heh," Jack chuckled, "You're training starts tomorrow."

"Training?!"

"Training. Today you will get officially settled in, clothing, and a check-up with the doctor."

She gaped incredulously, "I'm a skeleton-."

"I noticed."

She ignored his blunt sarcasm and continued, "What is there to check?!"

"A question I'm sure the Doctor would love to go into detail with you," Jack said while Sally groaned quietly with a cringe.

"Meet your mentor tomorrow at the graveyard at one o'clock."

The witches looked at Jack in surprise. Her mentor? What about him…

"In the afternoon?" Anna mumbled. That seemed really late.

"In the morning," Jack laughed at her expression.

For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "What?"

"You should probably ask Finklestein to check your hearing," the Mayor quipped.

"One in the morning?"

"Yes."

"But…" she trailed off. They were serious. "Okay…"

"We have work to get to, but you're welcome to look around town and follow any of us around." Jack spoke as if the entire event of watching news reports and crying never happened.

"But…I don't know what I'm supposed to do," she said panicky as they turned to leave.

"You'll be fine," Helgamine said.

"But do check in with Harlequin and work something out," Sally mentioned, "Unless you want to wear my nightgown for the rest of your afterlife."

"And find someone to take you to visit the Doctor when you're ready," Zeldabourne said.

"Who?!"

"Anyone."

"But I…" they continued to walk away as Anna scrambled to follow. They were unconcerned about her confusion, "I….I….uh…what…are you doing."

"Getting ready for next Halloween."

Anna stopped short and stared at their backs as they walked away.

"…That's three hundred and sixty-three days away!"

"Exactly," the monsters chorused.

* * *

Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. But not necessarily in that order.

It was November 1, 1995.

One day after Halloween.

One day before Skeleton Anna learned what became of her.

Harold was not superstitious, but he was a devout Christian and the current circumstances ate away at his soul like an acid. He couldn't stop it, and he knew the torture would haunt him for the rest of his life.

But that was to be expected after...everything that happened...

He was the father. He had to stay strong regardless of how much pain he was in, for his family's sake.

The sound that forced its way out sounded somewhat like a strangled moan. The 48-year-old man who already had salt and pepper hair set his tired, red eyes on the two hospital beds that he sat across from. It had taken a lot of arguing and begging, but he and his wife had finally convinced the doctors to move the twins into the same room.

Thida, Harold's wife, refused to let either one of her remaining children out of her sight and Harold wouldn't balk at admitting that he didn't want to be running back and forth between two separate hospital rooms on two different floors. It was better this way. This way, they were all together as a…family.

Harold sighed and stood up from the cushioned chair he had slept in and winced as his back popped painfully. He made his way over to where his wife sat leaning on his youngest daughter's bed holding her hand and gently put his own hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I'm going down to get us some breakfast," Harold whispered. His voiced cracked, unused to the previous night's worth of angry yelling and crying.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Thida's head nodded. The woman refused to meet her husband's eyes.

Harold stifled a sigh. His wife hadn't slept at all that night, and he felt guilty that he had allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting go, and he turned to leave the room.

The hospital was rarely loud. It had a strange suffocating atmosphere that seemed to make people want to be quiet. But that day, people bustled about with more urgency. It reminded Harold that he and his family weren't the only one's affected by the previous night.

Harold resisted the urge to glare at a young man he passed who he recognized from the high school. The teenager sat outside the hospital room were his girlfriend slept with an assisted breathing machine after the doctor's had done their best for her smoke burned lungs. The young man himself was half asleep from the pain medication as he cradled his bandaged arm that had a hint of red seeping through the white dressing.

His family wasn't the only one to suffer from the mistakes of last night, but they were the one family who wouldn't be recovering as easily as the others there. The logical side of his mind told Harold that it wasn't fair to be angry at a boy who he didn't even know just because he was at the disaster.

 _The day our lives fell apart._ The middle-aged man mused as he traversed the sterile halls toward the elevators that would take him to the small hospital cafeteria.

 _That's what I'll call it. "The day our lives fell apart." That's what she would call it. She most definitely had a way with words and she would probably give today a title. A fitting title like one she would give to one of her papers she had to write for school._ Harold stepped onto the elevator alone and finally let a few tears roll down his cheeks before it mingled with the stubble on his lower face.

 _I failed. I ultimately failed as a father. I couldn't protect her, and this is what happens. I didn't do my most important job in this life, and we are paying the price. Dear God, I beg of you, let this please be a terrible dream. Just that, a dream._

"I can't…Lord…please…" he couldn't say anything else. What could he say? Why should he say anything? Where was God when his baby burned to death?

The elevator stopped to let someone else enter.

Mark and Harold stared at each other for a moment.

Silently, Harold moved aside to let the boy in.

But Mark just looked away and stepped backward.

"I'll get the next one."


	11. Chapter 11: Jack's Book

**Sorry, this Chapter is a bit late. I'm trying to keep to a weekly schedule, but it's much hard than it looks.**

 **Please, oh please, Review! I'm begging here. I know a lot of you like this story, as evident by the favoriting and following, but I want to know** _ **why**_ **you like it and if you have any suggestion. I thrive on feedback. Positive or Negative. Even negative is useful for me. Sometimes I win, sometimes I learn. That's one of my catchphrases.**

Chapter 11

Jack's Book

* * *

Jack was not the kind of creature to avoid responsibility. Far from it.

Such flawed philosophy to do so felt like a direct contradiction to his very nature. That wasn't always the case, but he learned that trying to avoid consequences only caused more pain.

Avoiding responsibility for his actions is what got him here in the first place.

Of course, it does no good to wallow in self-pity either.

It wasn't like he hated his existence. He stopped feeling like that a very long time ago.

Jack swore and leaned his skull against the glass pane of one of his office windows in Town Hall. That didn't help his skullache.

He was watching Anna.

The girl stayed around the square for the most part and had yet to wander through the rest of town or outside the gate. It was only a matter of time before she decided to explore. It wasn't like she was in much danger, so long as she didn't go back to the Hinterlands.

Jack was working in his office all day, which allowed him to keep an eye on her as she went about reintroducing herself to the other monsters that passed through the town center. It had only been a few hours, and she had yet to keep an appointment with either Harlequin or the Doctor. But that was alright. She was intelligent and independent. Once she was comfortable enough with the atmosphere of the town, she would do what was needed.

That was partly why he had insisted they do her welcoming party as soon as possible. If he let her stew in her emotions for too long, she might have been less inclined to comply with his requests.

He thought about the story she told about her death.

 _The name James…_

 _Saving children from a fire…_

Jack's gaze drifted toward the ceiling. "You have an interesting sense of humor, Sir." He said almost in exasperation.

Like usual, he didn't get a direct response. He rarely did.

By 'rarely' that meant _maybe_ once every couple centuries.

He might as well keep talking, "Why do this to me in the first place? Like I didn't learn my lesson? And don't say that glitzy cow is to blame. I'm well aware you let everything happen that does." He leaned against the window again and sighed. "Which is why I let myself believe you let him get away with this for a reason. That doesn't mean I think it is fair, good Sir. I doubt Miss Anna would disagree with me. The last time I asked for a favor, I lost them. I requested a sign, and here you are fifty years later and a day too late."

He stared at nothing for a long moment, slightly angry. "She had her whole life ahead, and you just took it. Or as you would put it, you allowed me to take it almost two-thousand years ago."

"What do you expect me to do? You were so vague that I really don't even know what's going to happen. Am I going to die permanently now? That's no longer relief. Lose my crown? Just when I have refocused on my purpose?"

Jack was cut off with his rant when a sharp knock came from his door.

"Come in."

"I hope I'm not interrupting you two," the Mayor said with a twinge of sarcasm.

Jack shook his head and turned back to the window.

"I redid those plans, and I have a report from the vampires."

"Hmm. Oh. Yes. I'll have a look later," Jack said distractedly.

The Mayors face switched around loud enough to make Jack wince without needing to turn to his friend.

"She's not going anywhere."

"You never know," Jack muttered.

"Jack, please. Can you focus?"

Jack shook his head and turned away from the window.

"Right. Sorry Mayor."

"I'm only an elected official here Jack!" the Mayor pleaded in frustration.

"Serving for his 55th term."

"Semantics," the Mayor switched his face.

Jack couldn't help but laugh at that.

The Mayor's head switched again as he noticed the large leather-bound tome on Jack's desk.

"Is it wise to have that out?"

Jack looked up from the plans the Mayor had brought. "Perhaps not."

The Mayor touched the cover of the book, almost reverently, before pulling away.

Jack would have rolled his eyes if he had them, "You know it's just a book, Mayor."

"Aye. But a book of two thousand years of history and thoughts and names. One of a few."

"But a book nonetheless."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you take it out. Where I can see it, that is" the Mayor said, "I assume you've written more often than the elusiveness of this book seems to suggest."

"Actually, the last time you saw it was the last time I had it out,"

"That was twenty years ago!"

"Well…" Jack sighed, "I kept writing, though in other books, which I plan to rewrite into this one eventually. Though I will admit…"

"What is it, Jack."

Jack shifted, "Eh…the last few years, I fell out of habit. Nothing really seemed of interest to write about, so I didn't. I only started up again two years ago."

The Mayor didn't have much to say to that. He still couldn't understand how Jack had gotten _bored_ of Halloween. Though it already happened, the concept still scared him.

Jack continued, "With Anna here… the list is complete." He frowned, "It's strange, but for some reason, I was expecting to feel…something else. I've been doing this too long; I've gotten numb to my expectations."

The Mayor paused, and his head turned around. "What does that mean for us?" he fretted.

"Concerning the town?" Jack forced a chuckle, "I doubt they care about the fate of the town. While vague, they only specified _my_ punishment. And it has already come to fruition. I think." Jack didn't seem too sure.

"That's it? That's the curse? She…comes here?"

"Maybe." Jack's face twisted in guilt.

"That doesn't seem too bad."

"I think they gave me too much time to adjust," Jack said. He sat in his chair, elbows on the table, and fingers interlinked. "Though if the curse was to make me suffer, my apparently failed attempt to counteract it did the trick."

Jack's frown deepened, "Though I suspect it is not enough to appease him. Nor is this guilt."

The Mayor looked worried.

"Be aware, Mayor. They will be angry at my lackluster distress."

"Keep an eye out?" the Mayor guessed.

"Four, if you don't mind."

"Where."

"The Hinterlands will likely be more active. And those in the Real World might concern us."

The Mayor's eyes widened, "What?!"

"I don't know what will happen. Maybe they'll leave us be."

"But you don't know for sure!"

"I'm sorry Mayor," Jack said, clearly worried. "I really can't say."

"Can't you tell me more?"

Jack shook his head. "Nothing I'm sure you haven't already guessed. I haven't even needed to tell you who she is. I am sorry."

The shorter monster huffed in frustration, "It's not your fault."

Jack obviously didn't agree with that if his glare was any indication.

They were silent.

"Jack?"

"….yes my friend…"

"Is the town in danger?"

"…I did say earlier that they don't care about the fate of the town."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, that's not an answer. The words 'collateral damage' come to mind."

Jack rested his skull in his interlaced hands and stared at nothing.

The Mayor hated when Jack, or anyone who didn't have eyes, did this. He always had to assume they were looking wherever they were facing when in reality they could be looking around everywhere else.

Finally, Jack stood, "Thank you for bringing these plans, Mayor. I'll look over them and send you some assignments tonight."

"B-but what about Anna?"

Jack paused in gathering up some of the papers, "Rhyming studies tonight. You'll teach her." He handed the Mayor the papers and guided him toward the door.

The Mayor sputtered as the door closed in his faces, " _ME?!"_

* * *

Anna got up the courage to see the Harlequin Demon again after a couple hours of aimless wandering.

His frantic apologies nearly turned off the fears she had, even though she still didn't want him touching her.

Sally, the seamstress in the shop, seemed very amused by his enthusiastic agreement and all three immediately went to work.

Anna wasn't sure what they expected her clothes to look like and neither adult gave her any positive suggestion, though Harlequin threatened to rip a bolt of orange fabric to shreds if she even thought of choosing it, claiming it "clashed." Anna agreed. She didn't like that shade of orange either.

She quickly realized that all the colors in the town seemed to be limited to dull hues and different tints of grays and blacks. It was also the lighting. The sun here didn't seem very bright, and midday looked like a cloudy late afternoon. This caused even Sally's red hair to appear duller than Anna suspected it really was.

"What about this? Why does Mr. Skellington wear it?" she pointed at a bolt of black cloth with white pinstripes.

"I think he looks taller with them," Sally said. "He's always worn those clothes."

"It's his style," Harlequin said. "That's not to say we can't do something similar if you like it."

"Eh. I like this one more," she pointed to a bolt that looked almost identical, except the pinstripes were gray and a bit harder to see while still giving the black fabric depth.

Harlequin nodded and added the material to the small pile growing on another table.

She stayed for a little longer.

Before she left, Harlequin asked if it was alright if he kept the designs for her "costumes" a surprise.

Anna wasn't sure, but Sally assured that she wouldn't be disappointed. Anna liked Sally, and the rag doll gave off an air of trustworthiness, so Anna swallowed and agreed, much to Harlequin's glee.

Sally decided to walk with her for a bit, as a break.

Anna scanned the buildings curiously as they passed each one. Every crack in the pavement was interesting. Every tilt of a house or a placement of a window seemed to draw Anna's attention.

"How are you doing?" Sally asked.

"Alright…" Anna answered, ducking shyly.

The Rag Doll found it odd that Anna was acting shyer than Sally herself.

"I'm sure you'll like what Harlequin has planned."

Anna nodded, "Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Sally chirped.

"How…how did you die?"

"I didn't."

Anna looked at her questioningly.

"The Doctor made me," Sally said matter of fact.

Anna looked at the stitching and the fabric Sally was made of. "Like Frankenstein's monster."

"Frank is like my brother," Sally said with a nod.

Anna blinked, "What? Brother? He's here?"

"Well, of course, he is," Sally said, not quite understanding her confusion. "Dr. Finklestein learned how to make me from Dr. Frankenstein. Or at least, that's what he told me." Sally lowered her voice, "Personally, I think they might be the same person. Frank is always so vague when I ask."

"But that's fiction, isn't it?"

"No?"

Anna shut her mouth while she processed that.

Everyone they passed waved at them. A few nodded, and a few even bowed slightly.

"Why are they doing that?" Anna asked.

"Doing what?"

"Being so polite." Anna liked Sally. She didn't know her that well, but the rag doll (that's what she's called right?) was kind and seemed easy to talk to.

"What's wrong with that? I'd rather them polite than nasty."

"Well…yes…but is the bowing necessary?"

"I asked the Doctor about that once. I still don't understand, but you remember the Real World so you might. He told me most people who died to come here kept some habits they had while alive. I guess bowing to people was how you greeted others?" Sally asked Anna curiously.

"Oh…and yes I think I can add to that. A long time ago, people in Europe bowed to those they saw as a higher class than them, out of respect."

"Higher class?" Sally looked concerned. She thought about it for a moment. Why were some bowing at them? "Why do you suppose people were bowing to us?"

Anna frowned, "Well, you're Mr. Jack's girlfriend, right?"

"Yes," Sally blushed bashfully.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that makes you the Queen. At least when you two get married…do people get married here?"

"Y-yes," Sally stuttered, still blushing, "And I guess that makes sense…"

"….Are you okay, Ms. Sally?" Anna asked.

"It's just Sally, please. And I'm just not fond of the attention. And they shouldn't be bowing. We're all friends here."

"Speaking of friends, what does Pumpkin King mean?"

Sally smiled please to be the one answering Anna's questions. "It means Jack is Halloween."

"Huh?"

"He's the scariest of all. The Master of Fright. As King, Halloween is his responsibility."

"So you all spend all year planning a single night?"

"Yes."

"But…what do you do? Not everyone believes monsters are real."

Sally looked confused, "We're not Real."

Anna tilted her head, "But we're standing right here…"

Sally sensed there was a miscommunication, "Oh, I understand. Jack told me this earlier. We are figments of human imagination. Mostly. We aren't entirely Real, but we still exist. Does that make sense?"

"No."

"Honestly, it doesn't to me either. I'm still learning too."

"You?"

"I'm only a few years old," Sally smiled sheepishly.

"Really?"

Sally nodded.

"Huh," Anna nodded, still a little confused.

"So, humans don't believe we exist?"

Anna nodded again. "Adult don't, mostly."

"Hm. Then why do they spend all year waiting for us?"

Anna furrowed her brow, "They don't. Halloween is only one day a year. People start putting up decorations in early October then take them down after Halloween and start getting ready for Christmas and more school."

Sally stared at her, "You mean they don't always have those decorations up all the time?"

"Not for most of the year."

"That sounds so sad."

"Well…" Anna wasn't sure how to respond to that, but they had just arrived town square anyway.

She and Sally stood by the fountain, Anna asking questions about the town: what they ate, what the children did, why they had a Mayor _and_ a King, and so many others.

Sally was a little overwhelmed by the sheer curiosity Anna had.

So many questions! And she didn't think she answered many of them very well.

The town center was a busy place compared to that morning, and Anna was a little concerned about being run over by someone in a hurry.

Sally wasn't, so Anna supposed she was safe.

Relatively.

She had leaned back to look up at the Town Hall's roof when—

"Watch your head."

Anna instinctively ducked as a pair of monsters carried a large pole from which hung half a dozen shrunken heads. The pole barely missed knocking her head off.

"Sorry, newcomer," one creature rasped, but neither he nor his partner stopped walking.

"You alright?" Sally asked.

Anna nodded, still in a strange crouching position. She stood up, shaking her right wrist. She had gone down on it a little too hard, to keep her balance.

"Careful," Sally giggled. She looked at someone behind Anna, "Oh, hello Zero!"

Anna was perplexed until a sharp bark startled her, making her jump and turn on her heel.

It…was a ghost.

It was a little wispy ghost dog with a Jack O'Lantern for a nose.

He was so cute!

Anna was quick to get on her knees next to Sally, watching as the Rag Doll pet the friendly "panting" ghost.

"How are you doing that?" Anna asked.

Sally didn't seem to have any trouble touching the incorporeal animal.

She giggled again and gently took Anna's hand, guiding it to touch Zero's head.

Zero bark happily as Anna jolted at the contact. It was a bizarre feeling.

The dog felt like cool mist, but as Anna continued to pet him, she could feel fur and muscle that didn't exist according to her eyes.

"Fascinating…"

She looked up to a few monsters laughing.

At her.

Sally snickered and covered her mouth at Anna's embarrassed look, "Oh, don't worry, Anna."

"We're laughing because you sounded like Jack just then," Helgamine said as she passed by, balancing a bucket of paint on her broom.

Anna shrugged nervously, "Er…is that a good thing?"

"Just funny," another monster, a zombie said.

Anna nodded and turned her attention back to the dog. It was a little disconcerting to know that they were all watching her every move. Even as the monsters bustled around town, they apparently were interested enough to listen to her talk to a ghost dog.

"Who does Zero here belong to?" Anna asked.

Sally grinned, her smile an oxymoron of a friendly slasher smile, "Why he's…"

She was cut off as Zero got a glint of mischievousness in his eye.

The new skeleton had put her arms to her side and was looking at Sally. This was his chance!

Anna shouted, more in surprise than pain, as the ghost suddenly jumped at her. He used her shock to knock her down.

"Ow!" Anna cried out at a sharp pain in her side as a loud crack was heard.

She sat up, vaguely aware that something had fallen out of her nightgown and that Zero had darted forward to pick it up in his mouth.

The monsters nearby started yelling at Zero as he flew off, leaving Anna stunned as Sally helped her up.

What just happened?

She blinked as Zero flew over Creature Under the Stair's head, causing the monster to run into a red cartoonish Devil who had been trying to help him corner the dog.

There was something curved, white, and stick-like in Zero's mouth.

With a gasp, Anna felt her sides, realizing what was missing.

"Get back here!" she shouted.

Zero's ears perked and he paused in his "running."

Anna glared at the little ghost ignoring the monsters who were looking on in amusement. "Give it back."

Zero just barked happily around the rib in his mouth.

" _Give,"_ Anna said sternly, narrowing her sockets, and holding out a hand.

She inched closer.

Zero back up a few times then he stopped.

Anna almost had the bone in her ha—

Suddenly, Zero turned around and flew off, Anna's hand grasping air.

"YOU MUTT!" Anna shouted, chasing after him.

Zeldabourne nudged her sister, "Look. Someone found their balance."

It was true.

Anna was now running around town chasing Zero without stumbling, having seemed to forgotten her troubles with walking. Her graceful form darted around monsters and carts and whatever else may be in the way.

Zero was clearly enjoying his game, and no other monster was willing to help Anna get her body part back anymore.

The skeleton and dog were just too fast to keep up with.

Anna was a little too slow to catch Zero, but she made up for it with quick reflexes and her light form since Zero couldn't phase through things while holding her bone.

He didn't leave the square. That wouldn't be fair, he decided.

Anna didn't know the town like he did and what was the point of the game if she didn't have a decent chance at catching him.

"NO! Bad dog! Bad dog!" Anna shouted.

Zero looked back at her as if to laugh before ducking underneath a cart and emerging on the other side.

Anna's eyes widened. She was going too fast to avoid it.

Jimmy, who was pushing the cart, thought Anna was going to jump over it.

She didn't. She tried to dive under the cart, but instead of just sliding underneath, which she could have done too, she dissolved into a shadow that darted under the cart.

At the last second, she figured that if the Harlequin Demon could do it, why couldn't she?

She was a little too focused on Zero to notice the monster audience's laughter trail off for a moment in shock at the perfectly executed Trick.

* * *

Jack looked up at the sounds of a commotion outside.

"What in Halloween…" he wondered as he got up to investigate.

* * *

"Excuse me," Anna said as she dodged the stall Zero tried to lead her into.

Helgamine waved her off with a hissy cackle, though she did have to steady a few glass vials from falling.

"ZERO! That's mine! My rib! Not your chew toy!"

Zero's grin widened when he caught sight of someone and abruptly changed his path to go toward this person.

Anna wasn't expecting this and lost track of him as her feet went one way, and her line of sight went the other in attempts to find him.

As such, she couldn't avoid the fountain.

Zero stopped in midair at the sounds of a surprised scream and a mighty splash, followed by cackles from the crowd.

He looked up at Jack who stood on the steps of Town Hall looking down at Zero with a look that said the pup was sleeping in the graveyard tonight.

But Jack looked annoyed, not mad, so that was a good sign.

Anna coughed and spat out green tinted water as she floundered in the fountain for a moment.

She blinked as water dripped into her sockets and looked up to see Jack standing over her.

"Going for a swim?"

Zero floated behind Jack, Anna's rib still in his mouth.

"Is Zero your dog?"

Jack grinned at Anna's accusatory tone. He nodded laughing, "I see you two got acquainted."

"Oh, so it's your fault he decided to attack me and take my rib," she tilted her head trying to drain the water from her skull as it sloshed around inside.

"Perhaps I gave him a few bad habits," Jack chuckled as he and the Mayor offered Anna a hand each and pulled her out of the water.

The water dripped off, but her waterlogged dress clung to her bones, outlining her ribs and pelvis distinctly.

"Ah…" Jack muttered, "Can we get a blanket please?"

Someone quickly handed the uncomfortable Anna a rough wool blanket.

She didn't have anything to really show, but she sensed, based on the reactions she was getting, that walking around with her ribs showing wouldn't be appropriate.

Zero came close and held out her bone to her, his "eyes" submissively downcast.

She glared at him lightly and snatched it away, tucking it under the blanket with her. She figured the healing water would help, but she wasn't sure where to connect it.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm still mad," the recently deceased scolded the dog.

Zero whimpered and gave her the puppy dog face.

"That's cheating," Anna whined.

Jack chuckled as Zero happily yipped and darted forward to lick a frustrated Anna's face before running off to play with some monster children who had been watching Anna chase him.

Then Anna sneezed.

Jack raised a brow ridge, "I believe you're due for a doctor's visit."


	12. Chapter 12: Iatrophobia and Clothes

**Normally I like surprising my readers, but I'll give you a fair warning this time. If you can't handle the horrifying combination of needle and eyes,** _ **you might want to skip to the next line break**_ **.**

 **I really should have waited till next Wednesday to post this, since that's the weekly schedule I'm trying to stick to. However, I got excited and wrote ahead of a few chapters. I know I should just keep them to help me stay on schedule, but I wanted to apologize for taking so long with the last update.**

 **Review!**

 **PS. I'm going to be an animator! I got into the school I wanted! Look out PIXAR! :) I suspect I'll have a class on stop-motion someday. Since almost all technical job become obsolete eventually, I'm also going to study business and director studies. One day, _I'll_ be running Disney. Or PIXAR. Or I'll have my own studio. Anyone need a job? XD**

 **And no, I wouldn't make a Nightmare Before Christmas sequel given the chance (unlikely). It's too pure and I'm pretty sure Tim Burton would hate me. He's a pretty edgy guy I think. Possessive. In fact, if a coworker pitches a sequel, I'll pitch a fit.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Iatrophobia and Clothes

* * *

Dr. Finklestein muttered incoherently in between scolding Jack and Anna in turns as he wheeled around his lab, purposely ignoring the newcomer's curious stare.

And her panicky discomfort.

Anna wasn't sure what to think of Finklestein. She couldn't put a name to whatever kind of creature he was, though the best description she could come up with was "cranky-zombie-dentist" with a flip top skull that he opened up to scratch his brain. The squeaking sound made her cringe.

She was also keenly aware of the presence of electricity. She had been under the impression that there wasn't such a thing in Halloween town. It was a small comfort to learn that Halloween Town was a bit more modern than she initially thought.

Her attention wasn't on the technology, but rather on the leather and metal restraints that held her to the operation table. She was started to feel that panic again. One moment she was leaning back on the table looking around at all the equipment, the next the Doctor is cinching down straps.

That was _not_ okay. Not in the slightest.

"Excuse me," she whispered with a watery gurgle in her "throat."

"Run this by me again, Jack," the Mad Scientist grumbled, "Why is the newcomer sitting on my table soaking wet and sneezing water out of her skull?"

Jack shifted, "Funny story actually. You see, Zero apparently got a little restless and…"

"Excuse me!" Anna snapped rudely, "I don't mean to interrupt, but are these straps necessary?! _Achoo!_ "

Finklestein looked little exasperated about the water that sprayed out. "Depends on how much you plan to squirm while I'm draining your skull of water, my dear."

Anna was quiet for a moment and pulled against the restraints, "Will it hurt?"

"Of course no-."

"Doctor…" Jack coughed.

"Right…she's young. Ah. Well, not very much," Finklestein said, "But I have medicine that will dull the _discomfort_ if you like."

Anna would have blanched even more if she could. "Please," she squeaked like a frightened child.

She sneezed again, this one more painful as the liquid knocked against the inside of her skull.

"I'll be quick, my dear," the Doctor assured, wheeling over. In reality, he was used to strapping down all his patients. It simply made them easier to deal with. It really wasn't necessary- just a habit.

But he was a little worried about the skeleton girl struggling.

Anna's sockets widened as he held up a syringe with a ridiculously long and large gauged needle.

What on earth was that thing for?!

"Drink this," Finklestein ordered, holding a small cup of foul-smelling liquid to Anna's mouth.

She coughed and gagged a bit. That was weird since she shouldn't have a gag reflex in the first place.

"Yuck. What is that?"

"Very diluted Deadly Nightshade. You should start feeling numb right about now."

Anna tried to ignore how disturbingly chipper he seemed, in a creepy old man sort of way.

She flinched as the doctor put a few drops of the medicine in her left socket for good measure. She tried to blink it away, but that just made it go deeper.

He was right about the numbness.

Anna immediately didn't like it. She found it even harder than normal to focus on things close up.

She probably needed reading glasses anyway.

She looked toward Jack for help only to find the blurry tip of the needle poised directly in front of her left eye socket.

He wouldn't...

Before she could protest, the needle went right through where her eyeball would be and into her skull.

Anna cried out.

"Don't blink," Finkelstein warned as she gasped and tried to sluggishly struggle.

Blink?! How could she dare to blink while someone was shoving a giant needle in her eye!

She froze and stared straight ahead in horror, too afraid to move.

She could feel the needle, but she was only aware of it, there wasn't any pain. Well, there was a little, but it came across as a faint ice cream headache, not what she would expect to feel if she was human.

Otherwise there would be screaming involved rather than horrified silence.

* * *

"That was awful," Anna shuddered, eager to leave as she quick-stepped away from the Doctor's tower ahead of Jack. She ignored the Doctor and his wife calling for her to visit again soon.

"Slow down, Miss Anna," Jack said, amused at her. "It wasn't that bad."

"No, it was worse! I didn't agree to that!" she squeaked.

"When I said we needed the Doctor to help get the water out, what were you expecting?" Jack inquired.

"Not that!" Anna shuddered again and rubbed her socket. It was still numb.

"Watch where you're going," Jack warned as he noticed she almost ran into a wall on her left.

His warning came a second too late, and Anna's shoulder grazed the wall.

"Don't tell me I have to do that every time I decide to go for a swim," Anna pleaded, rubbing her now sore arm with a dry, scratchy sound.

"No," Jack laughed, enjoying Anna's currently affronted personality as she opened up due to her violation. "Just this one time. But you seemed very distressed about the sloshing, and you were sneezing a lot, so I figured we should get most of it out quickly."

Anna muttered something about how ordinary people don't strap down guests and stick needles in their eyes like it's an entirely okay thing to do.

"At least we got your check-up I asked for out of the way," Jack noted, not hearing her. He spoke a bit distractedly, more to himself than her.

It was true. Anna had passed out from the fear for a minute, and the doctor took the opportunity to reattach her rib, testing how fast her ligaments regenerated.

When she came to, and they finished draining the water, Jack had to snap at her to sit still as Finklestein tested her joints. She didn't want to be touched and was keen to leave.

They also tested her hearing, sight, dexterity, and reflexes.

Her hearing was excellent, and her reflexes had dramatically improved from when she first arrived.

Her dexterity would improve with time, the doctor assured her.

The only thing Finklestein seemed concerned with was that Anna seemed to be a little farsighted. He brushed it off quickly enough, perhaps hoping it would adjust in time, like her dexterity.

He made a written note nonetheless, and Anna made a mental note to ask about reading glasses later.

She had needed them when alive, so in some ways it made sense that she needed them now, and not so much sense in others- like the physical impossibility of her to have _eye_ problems when she didn't have eyes to begin with.

"Here they come now."

Anna looked up to see the witches she was staying with speaking to Sally and the Mayor.

Anna adjusted her dress. It was mostly dry now at least. Still a little damp.

"How was it?" Sally asked kindly.

"He shoved a needle in my eye," Anna deadpanned with a shudder and face.

"And?"

Anna gaped at them. "How is that normal to you?!"

The monsters looked at her confused and didn't answer.

"Was that scary?" Helgamine asked

"YES!"

"Well, there you go dear."

"What?"

"Dr. Finklestein represents the phobia of doctor and dentist and the like," Jack explained offhandedly, as if he shouldn't have to explain it. "Whatever he does tends to be something to be feared."

Anna frowned, "Iatrophobia?"

"Splendid, Anna!" Jack praised, straightening.

"Impressive," Zeldabourne nodded, "Looks like you're already ahead in your schooling."

Anna was about to ask what she meant when Jack asked her a question.

"Humor me for a moment, young lady," Jack said, "What is…fear of witches?"

Anna tilted her head, "I have the feeling you already know…"

"I did ask you to humor me."

"Wiccaphobia?"

"Correct!" Jack and the other adults seemed absolutely delighted. "Fear of darkness. Quickly now."

"Noctopho-," Anna corrected herself, "Wait no- nyctophobia."

"Good. Fear of the Wind."

"Ancraophobia," Anna replied, taking the quizzing in stride, though puzzled.

"Yes," Jack said, "Fear of dolls?"

Anna noticed that he was asking of fears relating to each of the present company. Except maybe the wind and darkness. Those weren't people. Right?

"Pediophobia. I think. That sounds more like the fear of children…"

"No, you're right," the Mayor said.

Sally nodded with a smile.

"Fear of politicians," Jack said.

Zeldabourne snorted while the Mayor glared at her.

That one was tough. Anna had to guess. "Um…Politiophobia."

"Close. Politi- _co-_ phobia," Jack said, "Fear of skeletons."

"Eh…I don't think there's a name," Anna admitted, "Necrophobia? But that's dead things in general."

"Skelephobia," Jack supplied. "But good try."

"Oh…that makes sense," Anna muttered.

"You know of more phobias than most humans. What a terrible surprise!" Jack said.

Anna shook off the odd choice of words, "My therapist made me learn about different fears so that I knew what to sympathize with since I couldn't feel those fears myself. I just turned it into another game."

They weren't even fazed by the mention of a therapist.

"Why did you ask me about those?" she folded her arms in front of her defensively.

Jack seemed to almost jump at the opportunity to explain, but quickly sobered and decided to let the Mayor explain. He really needed to start backing off.

"We all represent certain fears of the world in one way or another," the Mayor said proudly.

Anna stared at him for a moment. Then smirked, "So who's supposed to be the fear of lamps?"

" _Certain_ fears. We're all a little scarier than lighting houseware," Helgamine laughed.

"Am I supposed to be something? A Fear?" Anna asked glancing away awkwardly. It seemed like an arrogant question.

"That's for you to figure out."

"Oh…Is there something I'm supposed to be doing right now?" They all seemed busy, and she felt like she was keeping them from something. She didn't want to be a bother.

Sally perked up, "Actually, Harlequin was just here looking for you."

"Already?"

Sally nodded, gesturing for Anna to follow her. "I'll see you later, Jack." She blew him a quick kiss.

Jack smiled happily and waved them off while the Witches and the Mayor went back to work.

"Smart girl," Mayor muttered as he passed Jack. "I wonder where she got it from."

Jack glared at him.

Don't speak like that in public you fool!

Of course, Jack wouldn't say something so rude out loud.

* * *

"Alright you can look now."

Anna cautiously opened one socket, then the other and gasped at the sight.

Three sets of clothing and a long coat were laid out before her, Harlequin grinning at her with utter pride.

They looked great! Both casual and elegant at the same time.

The two blouses and one dress all had a similar style. The shirts were both black, but one was working- casual with cute purple flowers along the hems, the other semi-formal with pure jet black satin. The dress was bluish-black satin with black spider web lace and the same purple flowers along the bottom hem. There were also two turtleneck undershirts and two pairs of black dress pants.

Her fingers traced the spider web lace in awe.

"How did you do this so fast, Mr. Harlequin!?" she asked incredulously, "I only saw you a couple hours ago."

"I have a lot of practice." Harlequin frowned. "Do you like the lace on the dress? I wasn't sure about it, but Sally suggested…"

"I…I love it. I like lace. It's just…heh…"

"Is something wrong?" Sally asked.

Anna smiled sheepishly, "It just looks a lot like my old dress. The one that got burnt. Except that was white. The rags are in the room where I'm staying."

"Well if you don't like it…"

"No! I like it. Love it. Really," Anna assured while petting the dress.

It was really the coat that caught her eye. A slim jacket with long sleeves and a hem that reached her knees. It didn't seem like it was supposed to be worn buttoned all the way down, but rather trail behind her like coattails. The outside was a faint pinstripe design, just like Jack's, though subtle with gray instead of white lines. The inner lining looked like a spider web print.

And the bottom hem was lined with little tiny pumpkins.

She frowned, knowing where this was going. It concerned her, to say the least. But she shook off the uncomfortableness.

"It's very nice."

"They aren't done," Harlequin said a little snappishly. "You need to try them on so I can make some adjustments."

She blinked at the snap, embarrassed, but took the clothes and went to the back-room Harlequin and Sally gestured to.

It took just as much effort as she expected it to get her lanky form through the pant legs. She decided to try the pants and semi-formal shirt first.

"Alright it there?" Sally called after hearing Anna fall against the door with a loud thud.

"Yep! I'm good. Just…uh… a few…technical….difficulties. Pants…"

The skeleton and Harlequin didn't understand why Sally suddenly snorted and tried not to laugh.

She failed, and Anna could picture her struggling to stand through her giggles.

Anna was already feeling vulnerable and embarrassed for goodness sake!

She almost didn't want to look in the mirror. But she had to make sure.

She lifted her gaze to stare at the reflection in the cracked mirror and jumped despite herself.

Stupid fear.

There stood a tall, spindly black and white creature with crooked teeth and empty black sockets, wearing clothes that were suspiciously like what it wore in her dream.

Except for the shoes. She looked a little ridiculous standing around in nice clothes barefoot.

She grinned weakly as a test, and the reflection gave a scary, snarl in return. But…her eyes were sad, empty in more ways than one.

The dream she had before she died...

She hadn't forgotten, she just chose to ignore it. It was only a couple of days ago, but it already felt like so long ago, like another life. Which it was, she supposed.

She wondered if visions were an actual thing. If so, she wanted to kick herself for not knowing that dream was a warning. Could she have prevented this?

Wasn't today just a roller-coaster of emotion?

She lifted her hand and gently touched the image of her face in the glass, half expected the glass to burn her just as it did in her dream.

Nothing. The cold glass met her fingers, and she marveled at the detail in her hand for a moment.

"Anna? You alright? You went a bit too quiet," Harlequin called.

"Huh? Oh. Coming!"

The delight in the monsters' faces almost made Anna smile as well. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

"How do I look?"

"Horrible! Absolutely terrible," Harlequin said with something akin to joy.

"You look fantastic, Anna," Sally beamed. "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome? I should be thanking you. You worked hard," Anna said, fiddling with a button.

"Oh no! This is my gift to you. I'm simply honored you came to me for assistance. Now get over here, please. The collar is a little loose, and the sleeves are a bit too long." Harlequin called her over to a step stool.

Anna obeyed, this time, and let the weird monster look the clothes over.

"Hmm…"

Anna noticed that he fussed with his orange and green spiky fur coat when thinking. Was it his own fur or was it his clothing? She really couldn't tell. What about his "sleeves?" They were definitely fur…maybe feathers…with little spikes at the tips?

"How soon until they are completely done?"

"Oh, you should be able to take them home today. I told Jack it would take much longer, but I seem to have made enough lucky guesses," he said, claws busy with pins and needles.

"I suppose you were right about those three inches," Anna couldn't help but shyly smirk. She wiggled her hips in a little dance.

Sally burst out laughing while Harlequin seemed mortified.

"Let's never speak of that, please… The town will never let me live it down."

"It's maybe a little late for that, friend," Sally giggled apologetically.

Harlequin swore under his breath. " _Brilliant_. Moments like these, I wish we weren't immortal."

"Aw…" Sally pat the distraught monster on the back with a chuckle. She handed him one of the pins she had stuck in her wrist for safekeeping. She and the head tailor had gotten into a habit of using her as a pincushion sometimes.

Harlequin pouted, for lack of a better word, and took the pin to continue working.

Anna stared down at them from the top of the fitting stool. They didn't notice the sudden distress on her face.

 _Immortal?_

Anna stayed for another hour or so until the adjustments were carried out before she left, Sally walking with her back to the Witches' Shop.

"You have your own clothes now," Sally said cheerfully.

"I…like them." Anna cast her socket toward the bundle in her hands.

"But you're frowning?"

Anna slowed, "Did Mister Jack tell you our agreement?"

"No, I don't believe so," Sally said cautiously. She looked at the girl patiently, trying to give off the air of a person who would always listen. Sally really liked this girl, though perhaps she could sympathize with her because of her vision with the music box.

"I might be leaving…" Anna said awkwardly, "The clothes are perfect and all, but I feel sorry to take them if I decide to eventually leave." Anna flinched, worried about what Sally or the others monsters would think of her possible decision.

"But where would you go?" Sally said worriedly. No one ever left as far as she knew.

Anna shrugged, eyes downcast.

"Can I do anything to convince you to stay?" Sally said almost desperately. The girl just got here, and she already wanted to leave? Did Sally do something wrong? She thought she was being nice.

"It's not your fault, Ms. Sally," Anna said, unintentionally easing Sally's fears a little, "And I'm not leaving yet. Mr. Skellington asked me to give the town a chance. I don't have to but… I…I really don't know what I want. This is all…so weird."

Sally fretted for a moment, "I do hope you decide to stay. You already fit in so well here."

Anna looked confused. "I do?"

Sally nodded fervently as the Witches' Shop came into view. "You don't seem so afraid of us anymore. I know we must look strange to human eyes, which you still have if you remember your life, but Jack said you're adapting so quickly given the situation. And you played with Zero so comfortably."

"I didn't have much choice with that…" Anna muttered.

Sally giggled.

Anna jumped when Sally gently pulled her to a stop and held the girl's shoulders, looking her in the sockets with a kind, almost motherly-yet-childish smile.

"I do hope you decide to stay," she said.

Anna glanced away. "T-thanks. And thanks for the company."

"Of course! Come by Skellington Manor anytime. It's the big black house on the cliff off the town square. I'll make tea!"

Anna nodded as Sally waved goodbye and left.

The skeleton's thoughts were preoccupied with the eventfulness of the day as the Witches immediately gushed over her clothes like doting busybody aunts the second she walked in the store.

* * *

 **Author's note: Don't be confused. Not everyone is a specific fear. Every citizen is fear personified. They all can scare. But there's a few of them that specialize. These one's tend to end up in** _ **This is Halloween**_ **eventually.**

 **Hm. I wonder what Anna would represent one day?**


	13. Chapter 13: Funeral and A Devil's Deal

**Apologies for the long author note, but I would prefer you read it.**

 **This is rather personal, and I don't think I should say so on a public site like this where no one really knows me. But I need to say something. Usually, I would wait for Wednesday to post this, as I planned. But this week will be busy. This posting every three days thing won't stick.**

 **Grandma died Saturday night. It's rather horribly coincidental how the chapters of this story tend to mirror what's happening in my life. For example, the last chapter with Anna's clothes? That day I was helping a friend's mom work on my dress for prom. We're sewing a custom one that I designed myself. And the eye thing? That friend's mom used to be an eye surgeon. I know the best writers pull inspiration from real life, but I first wrote this chapter long before Grandma died. Almost six months ago. She's been sick for a long time, years, and it's just unpleasant how my plan for this story had such bad timing for this chapter. Her funeral is this Friday or Saturday (March 10** **th** **or 11** **th** **, 2017). My prom is Saturday night too.**

 **I'm well aware of the five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.**

 **Of them, Denial seems the most ridiculous. How do you deny what's so clearly in front of you with such irrational stubbornness? I can see how now. I know she's gone. But saying so is just words. I can't feel it. I haven't even cried yet. Plus, I almost hallucinated that she was breathing when I visited with my Mom and Dad. Maybe I skipped to depression? I feel blank. Empty. Ambivalent. The only emotions I feel are concern for my family's mental state and concern over my not being able to feel anything.**

 **Essentially, I am James in this chapter.**

 **Thank you for your prayers if you send them. I'm not looking for pity, only making an observation. I am a Christian too, so I'm optimistic I'll see her again. I just don't "feel" that optimism. It is there though.**

 **I'll try to update Friday if possible because I will not be able to update at all next week. Working a camp.**

* * *

Dear Luna Bass,

There isn't a specific phobia of revenge itself but there is a fear tied to the belief that ghosts and dead spirits are inherently malevolent. Phasmophobia- fear of ghosts. So you could easily tie it to fearing someone coming back to enact revenge after you've killed them or wronged them. However, poor Anna isn't the only spirit of Halloween that's been wronged in life, and she's certainly not the worst case. Helgamine and Zeldabourne are more likely to represent Revenge.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel are even more likely.

And yes I have a backstory planned out for every important citizen character. Even a lot of the minor ones. It's helps me understand how I write everyone.

Guess again! I like hearing theories. And I'll give a hint a few chapters from now.

Corona Pax

* * *

Thanks itsone00 for your awesome review! It means a lot to actually hear someone likes my story rather than relying on the statistics page. Oddly, you're not the first person to tell me my writing has a very real feel to it. That's almost word for word concerning the "real" description. So I guess that means there are some merits in those comments. To answer your question, yes, Anna remembers her dreams, it's been mentioned at least twice, but I've purposely glossed over that little fact quickly. And yes, something big is coming and you'll learn a little more with this next chapter. As for Jack's reaction? Why would Anna even tell him? ;)

I'll post a copy of this answer in the next chapter, by the way.

Till all are one,  
Corona Pax

* * *

Chapter 13

Funeral and A Devil's Deal

 _Eulogy_

 _Annalise Grisholme met her death as she lived her life. Always looking out for someone else. I wasn't quite sure what to say when Mr. Grisholme, Harold, asked me to write the eulogy for his daughter. My girl. My Anna. But his girl. His Anna first. Then we made a deal that we would both say some words for her. I may have agreed to that because I didn't want to be alone up here. I look at my side and keep expecting Anna to be there. And when she's not, I break inside a little. She was always there for me, in some ways that I didn't even now until recently._

 _I remember when I broke my leg two years ago. Just in time for Freshman Prom too. My date decided to go with someone else while I was stuck at home. Anna called me and said she couldn't go either because her grandma was in the hospital._

 _She suggested we keep company over the phone. We talked for hours, and I'm still not sure how I managed to hang up._

 _I can't believe no one told me this, but Anna was never at the hospital with her grandmother. She was at her very first prom that night, with a dress and everything, and learned I was the only one in class who wouldn't be able to go._

 _Sarah tells me Anna came out into the hallway and sat on a chair outside the principal's office talking with me for hours, missing the entire dance. I feel awful about this. If I had known…she probably would have stayed to speak with me anyway._

 _Anna knew how to make anyone smile. She loved her family. Her brother and sister mean the world to her. She…sh-she w-was the bravest young woman I ever had the honor to know. And I loved her._

 _I love Anna. I still love her. I love her to the moon and back. Nothing can change that. I now I know I'll never see her again in this life._

 _I lost the one woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with._

 _I propose to Anna that night. The night she died. And she said yes…_

 _We were going to marry after we both got out of college._

 _An hour later I can almost hear her screaming from inside a burning building as firemen hold me back._

 _Why would they do that?_

 _Why?_

Mark trailed off as he stared at the words on the piece of paper and broken down into quiet sobs. He laid his head down on his desk, squeezing his eyes shut so tight it hurt. He could smell the wood from his desk and taste the salty tears as they ran into his mouth. He imagined hearing the soft clinking of silverware from downstairs as his parents ate dinner silently after Mark had mumbled that he wasn't hungry.

"Why?" he whispered.

Paper went flying before drifting down to join the other three dozen crumpled sheets.

The pencil cup and books collided with the wall with enough force to shake a picture off the wall.

Mark stood up and kicked his chair over before collapsing into a sobbing mess against a wall, his fingers entwined with his hair.

This isn't the way it's supposed to be.

He shouldn't be throwing a fit like this. Anna wouldn't want him to act like that.

 _Grow up, Roman. Everyone dies. The trick is to live every day like it's your last. Then what regrets will you have?_

That's fine and all for the people who die. What about the rest of us?

"Mark? Are you okay?" his mother's voice drifted through his locked door.

For a single moment, Mark looked up in surprise, thinking it was Anna's voice before reality sunk in again.

"I'm fine. Just dropped something," he said shortly.

"...Honey…you know your father and I are here if you ever just want to…." Jennifer trailed off as she couldn't finish her sentence without choking. She took a breath.

"Baby, I know you miss her. We all do. But I promise everything will be okay." She waited for a response. A sound. Anything. But nothing came. So, she left.

She went downstairs and was surprised to see her husband at the door with a young man outside.

Rick looked up as Mrs. Deaton approached. He smiled.

"Hey. Mrs. D! How's Mark holding up?"

Mr. Deaton gesture to the teen, "Jen, this is one of Mark's friends from school. He told me he lives a street over."

"Mark didn't look too good today. I just thought I'd check in and all," Rick said.

"That's sweet of you…?"

"Rick."

"Well, _Rick,_ it's good that you want to check in on him, but I don't think Mark wants company right now."

"Yeah. I figured. Would you mind passing my condolences on to the Grisholme's too? Anne and I weren't close but…"

"We can do that," Mr. Deaton said. "Thanks for stopping by."

"No prob."

As Rick left Mrs. Deaton turned to Mr. Deaton. "I thought we had met all of Mark's friends."

"Don't worry about it too much, Jen. The funeral's Saturday. We don't need to be grilling Mark about his friends."

"I know…"

* * *

Mark eventually wrote an acceptable eulogy, though he did reveal that he had asked Anna to marry him that night.

Mark and Anna's friends already knew, of course. As did their parents. However, there were still many people left surprised and some broken-hearted by the news.

Harold could barely speak as he delivered his own goodbye.

Jillian and James wore blank, yet pained, expressions unbefitting a couple of children.

Thida cried. There isn't much more to say about a mother who lost her child.

They opened up the floor to let anyone who wanted to say a few words do so.

Mark didn't hear many of them. Instead, he stared at the tombstone…no… _memorial_ that the Grisholmes had chosen to put in the family plot to give people a place to visit her.

They couldn't bury her…there wasn't enough left.

Instead, they had the rest of her cremated and put in the urn that sat on a small pedestal at the front.

He wanted to die. He felt sick.

He wanted her back.

There was a crowd. An excellent turnout. There were so many people who knew her from school or around town.

Mark always knew that Anna was a bit more popular than she ever seemed to realize. Everyone wanted to speak with her. Or about her.

Even Chelsea had something nice to say.

Grace.

John.

…Sarah…

Mark actually tried to listen to Sarah's speech. It was short, but Sarah was Anna's best friend.

Sarah loved Anna like a sister.

She said so.

They locked eyes mid-sentence and Sarah stumbled over her tears.

"She always knew what to say to make me smile. But she was never afraid to tell me when I was wrong," she finished.

Mark looked away and tuned out again.

None of this was right.

There was murmuring.

Mark glanced up at movement beside him as James helped Jillian up, letting his sister lean on him to keep her bandaged foot off the ground.

"Hi everyone," James said while Jillian stared at the ground in silence. "Anna was my sister. I'm not sure what else you want me to say, except that I'm sorry."

Jillian squeezed his arm.

"We're sorry." James' voice was oddly calm, and he spoke with resolve. He had the look of someone much older than eleven.

"I refused to leave Jillian, and I shouldn't have left Anna. That isn't what brothers are supposed to do." He ignored his father motioning for him to sit down. "She saved us. There's no other way to put it. And we asked her to. When Jillian was trapped in a closet, and I couldn't get her out, we sat on both sides of the door and asked each other what we wanted more in the world. To distract ourselves. We both said that we wanted to live."

Jillian leaned in closer to her brother, tears getting in her brother's sleeve.

Their mother sobbed harder.

"We both prayed that _Anna_ would save us. I don't know why we didn't cry out for Mommy or Daddy."

Thida and Harold shut their eyes and held hands.

"We asked her to save us and then there she was. She didn't say a word at first, then she told me to get out of the way and rammed the door. She broke it when I couldn't."

His face remained blank, "I'm sorry because she would still be alive if it weren't for us. It's my fault."

"Ours." Jillian's whisper was barely heard.

James ignored her for the first time and stared at the audience who looked horrified that he would think such a thing.

"Because we cared more about ourselves than her, she died. What I don't understand is why you speak as if you were best friends," he spoke toward the large group of high schoolers near the front. "Half of you hated Anna."

"James. Sit down," Harold ordered, his voice cracking.

"No. You all called my sister a freak. Insulted her. And you decided it's okay to stand up here and gush about how great of a person she was? I heard some of you earlier, joking as if this was suicide. How _dare_ you?"

Some of the teenagers looked mortified that they were overheard. By Anna's little brother no less.

"She did something so incredibly brave that you decide that you're so jealous of her _death_ that you try to smear it? What's _wrong_ with you?"

"James. That's enough. Sit down with your sister," Harold interrupted, standing up and grabbing his son's arm roughly, almost making Jillian lose her balance as well.

James kept talking as he sat down, listing off some names in spite. "Chelsea. Samantha. Ara. Jackson. Luke."

Jillian tugged on his sleeve, telling him to stop.

He trailed off after a few more names to the sounds of ashamed crying in the back. He didn't care. About anything. He felt so…empty. There wasn't sadness, nor anger, not really. He just didn't care about feeling anything. It was easier to pretend he was mad, but really, he couldn't care less how guilty he was making other people. Anna was gone, but it was like he was refusing to feel it.

Mark tuned out again.

He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, but eventually, he was startled by someone putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad?"

"Almost," Mr. Harold Grisholme muttered, "Your dad asked if I could get you."

"Is it over?"

"Yes…"

Mark was quiet, "I'd like to stay a while longer if that's alright."

Harold nodded. "I would too, but I think the twins need to go home."

"Don't be so hard on them," Mark scoffed, "James said what we were all thinking."

"He hit those girls and boys deeply. They didn't need that guilt."

"Maybe they did. And I hope those murderers feel worse than that."

Harold paused, knowing who Mark was referring to.

The students who started the fire.

A day after it was put out, one of the boys came to the police station in tears and confessed to setting the fireworks under the table.

He and his three friends were preparing for a long court battle, courtesy of their parents.

Harold sighed.

"You have a car. Don't be too long. Please."

Mark nodded as Anna's dad walked away to rejoin his family.

Jillian and James silently watched Mark from the car.

Harold stopped to say a few words to Mark's parents before they went their separate ways.

They already took the urn, so he stood before the tombstone staring at the name etched on its face.

He reached into his pocket and held Anna's ring in his palm.

They had found it near Anna when going through the wreckage of the school. He had almost forgotten she was wearing it. He had just given it to her seconds before after all.

He closed his fist.

"I'll make this right. I promise," Marcus Deaton whispered angrily.

Some distance away, two figures stood watching the young man from the shade of a tree in the corner of the graveyard.

One of them, let's call it a 'he,' stared at Mark with almost a bored expression. He glanced at his companion, let's call it a 'she.'

"How was the journey?"

The other one glanced at him before focusing back on Mark.

"You know," she replied.

"No one attempted to stop you?"

"A few Fallen taunted her as we went through the Veil. She won't remember."

"Expected."

"Hmm."

"That all?" the first one said.

"Hm."

"Chakis?"

"Like you said. Expected," Chakis said.

"Did you restore her?"

"Yes," Chakis replied. "She has all her emotions now."

"Oh, my beloved brethren. Admiring my work?"

The first two figures looked at the third who approached.

"You've done your part. Be gone Fallen."

The third smiled deceptively, "We aren't done yet. And the term is 'demon' these days, I believe."

Leaves rustled.

Chakis looked up noticing a presence was listening.

"The wind listens."

" _Perhaps I do,"_ the Wind said sharply.

The first figure ignored the demon for a moment, much to its annoyance. "You never had a vested interest in the matters of The War before. You simply did what was commanded of you."

" _I do care when one of your spiritual battles concerns my friends."_

"Jack," the first creature nodded.

" _Of course,"_ the Wind seemed a little peeved.

"This is our concern presently. You are not welcomed. Not yet." The angel raised his hand, and the wind was silenced, the air now still as leaves floating around them dropped like stones.

The first angel now looked toward the demon.

"Why do you stay? Is there not another act of evil to commit?"

"Ha. We aren't done with Jack yet. His suffering is not yet full. I've been assigned to this, but the Master is very interested."

"And the girl?"

"A tool. Nothing more. She's weak, and her mind is fragile now thanks to you."

Chakis glared at the demon, "She's stronger than you. Continue to underestimate her, and you will fail all the sooner. I am aware that you intended the death of the children as well."

The demon bristled, clenching his fists. "We are not done with them yet. Any of them. Jack will suffer for his impudence. They all will. Our Lord will prevail. This is but a skirmish. We will still win."

With that, he left quickly before the other two could smite him.

Chakis looked toward the stony countenance of the angel she stood beside. She then looked back toward Mark as another human, another male teenager, walked up to him.

Rick.

They knew him. He didn't know them, though.

They watched the exchange, knowing where these events would lead, many years down the path of time already laid out.

"Is it my place to know Our Father's plan?" Chakis asked humbly.

The other was quiet for a moment.

"Keep watch and guide. Lend your strength. They are to be tested. All of them."

"…Understood."

"You did well Reaper. The outcome lies in the human souls."

"If I may, don't you find it strange how Father offers forgiveness to humans and not us?"

"Careful."

"Not heresy, brother. Only awe. Forgiveness? Mercy? What are these?"

"Things we were not made to grasp."

Chakis nodded.

* * *

The Wind was finally allowed to return, but the entity only found empty space under the tree where the spirits once stood watch.

It tossed a few leaves about in frustration. It was strange, being almost as old as creation itself and still having a limit to its patience.

The consciousness left before it heard the conversation of the two boys that stood by Anna's gravestone.

"What are you doing here?" Mark asked, a little confused when he looked behind him to see Rick.

The older teen shrugged, "Just came to pay my respects."

"You should have come earlier. Everyone's gone."

"Not you. Besides, I don't like crowds that much."

Mark scoffed, "I didn't expect you to care enough about Anna to come. You don't even really know either of us."

Rick shrugged again and pulled out a cigarette pack. He lit one, ignoring Mark's glare and offered the other teen one.

Mark declined, not surprisingly.

"We had lockers next to each other, seems like enough of a relationship to pay my respects to. Anyway, how are you holding up?"

"What do you think?"

"That bad?"

Mark stared at the ring in his hand.

Rick took a long drag of his cigarette and whistled. "Nice ring. That's rough man."

"Why do you care?"

"Geez. Can't a guy be nice?"

Mark huffed and stared straight ahead. "Sorry."

"Forget it. I guess you don't want my help."

Mark turned around to look at Rick in confusion. "Help? With what?"

Rick stopped walking, a grin on his face. He wiped it off before turning back, "Bringing her back, of course."


	14. Chapter 14: Rhyme and Reason

**Hi, everyone! Sorry I didn't update last Friday as promised, but I didn't have much time, and there was so much to do that I had to prioritize. Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I know I'm a little late with that too. I had a goal to be far enough along with the story that I could post chapters that had to do with the Holidays I posted them on. Unfortunately, we aren't there yet. There still a long way to go.**

 **Enjoy! And post a review, please? Your opinions give me life!**

 **Post-script, I have a note from Anna that she wanted me to share.**

 _Hello, Humans! Thank you so much for following this rather embarrassing account of my adventures of being dead. It gets less cringey later…I hope. The person who's adapting my diary entries to bring you this story says it's a good story and not cringey at all. I don't completely believe her. I messed up so many times that I couldn't understand why you care. Regardless, I thank you. I'm a very wordy skeleton, so for the sake of time, I won't_ string _you along while the author tells of my afterlife. Hehe…string…Sorry. That's a joke, a pun really, that will make sense later. Or it might_ knot. _Okay, I'm done. Please continue before I ramble anymore._

 _Skeleton Anna Grisholme, Citizen of Halloween of Twenty-One Years. Fear of ********** and ******_

* * *

Chapter 14

Rhyme and Reason

It is all a lie. One big fat lie that leaves people who don't know any better grasping at the hope of real peace after death. But no… it is still there.

Lurking behind every step. Burning behind every eyeball. Clawing at your sanity until there is nothing left but the scattered ashes of your intellect, easily blown away by the next gust of breath from someone saying "it's good for you."

But I say nay!

I've thought about death before when I was alive. Granted, I did not expect my time on earth to end so abruptly or suddenly, though for some reason I couldn't quite grasp the concept of dying of old age either. That's irrelevant now anyways. But I'm digressing.

I've thought about death, and I had many vague expectations about what would come after, most of which I haven't seen a hair of since arriving here.

However, of one thing I was entirely sure of it was that there was no school in the afterlife. There shouldn't be!

I figured that there would be learning. All the mysteries of creation laid bare in front of your soul, and all you had to do was decide which one you wanted to explore first.

Don't get me wrong. I loved learning. I enjoyed reading and listening and picking apart the mysteries of existence. I was always so curious. Learning caused me joy.

School, however, didn't. I liked most of my teachers. I loved art and speech class. And History. Still do. I loved science. Math was an interesting subject, and I was enamored by the connections it provided between things in the world. In fact, the only subject I didn't like was Government and Politics. Hated it.

I'm all for connection with people, but the stress that class caused me wasn't worth the four hours a week I had to devote to it in my short life.

To sum it up, I always thought school, at least my school, was an inefficient way to learn things. Everything was too structured. While I believed that some structure was good for learning, the school puts too many constraints on the learning process.

There's little freedom, and I wish people could be encouraged to study what interests them early on rather than be forced to learn at a compartmentalized rate that basically put a false label on you that says whether you're smarter than someone else.

Seems I've turned into a philosopher. I guess death does that to you. But I'm digressing, once again.

What's the point of this rant? Oh right…

IT'S A LIE. You are not released from the suffocating shackles of school work after death. At least, you aren't if your soul ends up in Halloween Town. Lucky me...

I asked the witches what Jack meant about meeting my mentor in the graveyard.

They were a little vague but explained it a little.

I would have to go to school.

They were also quick to explain that I wouldn't be sent to the school with other children until I got some basics under my belt.

I would be meeting with someone on a regular basis until I'm deemed ready.

They didn't tell me what "ready" meant, unfortunately, or what these so-called "basics" could be.

That was a week ago, but I'm going to write about those first few days before skipping ahead to now.

It was a few days since I woke up in this world. It was strange and a little freaky all the time. Most days I just coasted through, ambivalent to the weirdness, but there's only so much I can ignore.

There was still a jar of eyeballs on the kitchen table, for example.

So much has happened since I've been here, so I'll try to summarize. Somewhat.

Sally took me to the witches shop after I got my clothes, but I never went inside.

I tried to use the cauldron to peek at what's going on with my family a mere few hours after Jack warned me not to.

That didn't end well. I got caught. Let's leave it at that.

Actually, let's not.

Trouble the Cat was the tattletale.

I'll never forget that mix of guilt, fear, and the knowledge I did something I wasn't supposed too that came from seeing Helgamine's face as she marched right up to me and pulled me down by the arm to awkwardly drag me back to the shop.

The worst part? They didn't yell at me or anything of the like.

Silence.

They just looked at me, disappointment on their faces. That was worse. But they're not my mother, so why do I still care?

The people here still make me uncomfortable. They look so…scary. But after I talk to anyone for a little, they're nice. And they give me so much stuff!

After Helgamine took me home last week, I mostly stayed in "my" room until Zeldabourne reminded me I had a meeting in the graveyard at one. She wanted me to have dinner with she and her sister before I left.

I didn't realize how late it had gotten. I opened the door and immediately fell over a crate that had been placed in front of my room without my knowing.

It stunned me, but as I took a moment to look at the contents, I found things like socks, combs, several pairs of shoes in varying sizes, plus a whole lot of useful basic-needs knickknacks. Plenty of homemade things too- like a bar of soap labeled "rotten flesh scented."

It was aptly named, so I quickly set it aside.

The witches said everything was mine. Imagine that.

Apparently, everyone in town was pitching in to give me property of my own. Second-hand shoes, for example.

Everyone here is just…too nice…

No one's ever been so nice to me before without expecting something of me. Well, maybe my parents…no…they expected me to behave.

Mark let me be myself, but it was still like he tolerated my pranks and no-fear reactions.

I was the loveable weirdo…

These people? They act so celebratorily about my quirks, even if I'm still trying to figure out how fear works.

Hey, that rhymed…

(Suck it, Mayor. I'll explain later)

It's just so…off…the way they act as if they have always known me…

During that first dinner with the witches that night a few days ago, I mentioned a prank I pulled when alive. (I mostly pretended to eat…I'm pretty sure the stew was still alive). It was one where I tricked the entire wrestling team into thinking the locker room was haunted. I used a rope and string pulley system to move random stuff around and changed my voice while speaking through a vent.

They didn't laugh, which awkwardly surprised me.

Well, they did laugh, but it was a small chuckle, and Helgamine said that it was a clever idea. She asked me for details like where I hid, what kind of ropes I used, how many boys there were, what my motivation for scaring them was.

Then they proceeded to give me a critique. What I should have done. What I shouldn't have done. What I did that was good.

I was trying to make conversation, and I got pulled into a lecture…

It wasn't like I blew them off. Every suggestion they gave was right. I was surprised by how many things I could have done to make the prank better. It was "eye-opening," so to speak, given how I don't…nevermind…

… I think I'm milking the skeleton jokes. At least milk has calcium. No? Okay…

Anyway, they take pranks and scaring people seriously here. No surprise. I just wasn't prepared for how invested they got into the success of my favorite pastime. They didn't just find it a funny story, they _cared_ about how proud I was of the prank.

No one ever cared about how much work I put into pranks. Some of my plans were complicated. The laughs I got from people were nice, but I often got passed off as a goof or attention whore when I could have gone to college early to get an engineering degree had the teachers taken a moment to look at my pranks rather than call it a waste of time. I could've been an engineer.

Could've...

Was this what Jack warned me about? Getting wrapped up in what could have been? Probably.

It just wasn't fair…

I digress.

I have a big wooden box of my own belongings now, the chest courtesy of the witches. Monsters are still probably dropping things off at the Shop.

The children were sweet and wanted to bring me gifts as well. I was stopped on my way to the graveyard by a little mummy kid. They shyly presented me with a picture they drew.

The subject kind of disturbed me…

It was a stick figure of me, understandably recognizable, with long sharp fangs, towering over a bunch of stick figure humans…More than half of them appeared dead, of fright apparently, though there seemed to be a lot of blood for such a case.

Oh, and there was crayon blood running down my face.

I…uh…was not sure how to respond. I must have taken too long staring at it because the poor kid seemed to sadden. I noticed and told the mummy that it looked horrible. Oh, man did I cringe. A part of me was still expecting that to be a soul-crushing insult to such a little kid, but I'm glad I took the risk and tried to mimic the adjectives the creature here seem to use.

The kid's face lit up, the parts I could see through the bandages.

I had to leave quickly. I was late for my first lesson, whatever that entails.

* * *

It was dark, as expected for one o'clock in the morning. The moon was big and yellow and it hung in the cloudy sky with a weight to it, as if it was about the pull the heavens down with it.

It was beautiful. I could tell it certainly wasn't the same moon I've grown up with. That was mind boggling. It was like wherever we were was a whole different planet.

Heh. Does that make me an alien?

I snickered at the idea.

"What's so funny?"

I jumped and unintentionally made some ninja moves. I then remembered what I was doing there.

I was standing at the gate wondering how to open it and I completely didn't think to look for the bird that helped me a few days before. I somehow hadn't noticed anyone in the gatekeeper booth either.

I was a little disappointed to not see the little Raven. Instead, a human-sized bird man was peering at me in curiosity. At least, I assumed he was human size. I didn't have a reference for human size.

I must have taken too long to answer, so he asked another question just as I had gathered myself, "I see you got your guise."

Without thinking I blurted, "Why does everyone call them that?"

Ever since I got my clothes that day, passing monsters had been talking about how "delightfully horrid" my "costume" or "guise" is.

Harlequin is soaking in the praise probably.

The Gatekeeper chuckled at the obviousness, "This is Halloween Anna. We wear costumes."

"…I guess. Does 'guise' mean 'disguise'?"

"That's what humans used to call Halloween costumes."

"Oh. I'm sorry," I shuffled a bit before looking him in the eyes, "Um. I don't think we've met. You obviously know my name, but I don't know yours."

A grin spread on his black beak, and he laughed, setting down a book to reach out a feathery hand/wing through his window to shake my hand.

"You can call me The Gatekeeper. My name doesn't matter right now. And we've already met."

I froze in realization, my thin bony hand still clasping his feathery one. I peered at him for a long moment.

He apparently thought the slow twist of my face was hilarious.

"That was you!?"

"Of course."

"Is your neck okay?!"

The Gatekeeper laughed harder. He thought it was sweet of me to be more concerned about his neck than how he and the small bird could be the same monster.

"I'm fine. I would have been fine anyway, but the water did help."

"I'm so sorry I didn't understand what you were trying to…."

"Think nothing of it." The Gatekeeper withdrew his wing and opened the gate, "I take it you're on your way to the graveyard."

My eyes widened, "Oh yes! I completely forgot!"

"Apparently. You're also late. The Mayor is a picky creature. He doesn't like tardiness."

I groaned and ducked under the gate before it was completely up. Then I froze...

"Is the Mayor my mentor?" I hadn't known.

The Gatekeeper looked up from his book, thinking I had already sped off.

"Well…actually…he shouldn't be," the bird admitted hesitantly, "But I suspect Jack has his reasons for assigning the Mayor today." He nodded.

At the time, I wrongfully assumed Jack was the one who always decides who mentors who.

"Oh...alright. Thank you. War of the Worlds is a good book. Bye," I said before turning and jogging off. I didn't intend to be rude, but I was late.

I didn't notice the Gatekeeper glancing back down at his book before back at me with a pleased grin.

* * *

Saying the Mayor of Halloween didn't like tardiness was a gross understatement.

He spent nearly ten minutes scolding up at me about the importance of always being on time.

I flinched with every word, but after the first two minutes, the lecture lost its sting.

He kept going, though, fully intending to drive it into me.

"…and do you _know_ what could happen if you were late on Halloween!" he rambled. "It you missed a town? We wouldn't know where you were! Or if you missed the gate! Good Heaven! You could be trapped in the Real world. And what if…."

He kept going, sounding more and more frantic.

I was starting to worry. Not about what he was saying, I could barely catch any of it, but about whether he needed to breathe if he's dead.

I didn't, but the short man was starting to wheeze a little.

"Okay! Okay," I shouted, interrupting him, "I won't be late again."

"You better not!" he snapped. "We have rules here, Miss Anna. Jack let you have a pass with the cauldron but don't let it go to your skull."

"Do the rules require being on time _all the time_?"

"Sometimes! Weren't you listening? Sometimes it's dangerous to be late."

"Fine," I was a little annoyed now. But I nodded and said with some strained politeness, "I'll take your advice to heart. If I may, are you supposed to be teaching me something?"

The Mayor let out a stiff, frustrated, sigh. "Yes. This will be shorter than planned due to us starting _twenty minutes_ late."

I was tempted to mention how half of that time was him filling the air with noise, but decided better.

"We'll start simple," the Mayor leaned against a tombstone, "I want you to finish my phrase. There once was a dog…"

I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"That doesn't work. Try again. There once was a dog…"

"What is this?"

"No. There once was a dog…"

I was starting to get cross. "You didn't tell me what to do."

"I told you to finish my sentence. There once was a dog…."

"Stop saying that!"

"There once was a dog…" the Mayor's eye twitched, but his head didn't do that freaky spinning thing that it does with certain emotions.

Why is he annoyed?! He's the one who didn't give me enough information.

" _There once was a dog…"_

I sputtered, perplexed, "Uh…who chased a cat?"

The Mayor looked about ready to strangle me, "There once was a _dog."_

"Are you kidding me?" I snapped, "I finished your phrase."

The Mayor's eye twitched again, "There once was a dog," he stressed.

"Who…barked up a tree?"

"…"

"That chased me into the fountain."

"…" He sucked on his teeth and shook his head.

"That took my rib bone?"

What in Halloween did he want?!

 _What in Halloween…._ Did I really just think those words?

The was a faint grinding sound, and the Mayor's head turned a little, but he stopped and forced a calm and patient smile. Sort of.

"There. Once. Was. A. _DOG."_ He stressed the last word harder.

"That I ran over with a lawnmower," I blurted out. By this point, I was done playing that stupid game. What was the point?

We went back and forth for I don't know how long, each of us growing progressively more annoyed with the other.

"There once was a dog!"

"Screw your freaking dog," I finally hissed, my well of patience running dry.

"That is IT!" the Mayor snapped as his head spun so quickly, I was sure he had to be dizzy. It had only been a couple minutes. "We're done for now. Good _day_ , Miss Anna." He started walking away.

Are you kidding?!

I stared agape and threw up my hands, "What did you want me to say?!"

He just kept walking toward town and waved behind him without looking back.

I huffed in frustration and kicked a small rock, swearing when it turned out to be bigger than I thought and stuck in the ground like an iceberg. I was barefoot still…

I shouted and hopped a bit until the pain was manageable. "There once was a dog that said you looked like a frog," I muttered at the Mayors back.

I froze when he stopped. Did he hear me? Uh oh.

* * *

"But he just shook his head and muttered something before continuing to walk away," I finished telling the story to Helgamine and Zeldabourne after I went back to the shop after a few hours of walking my stress out. We were in the kitchen.

The witches both seemed to be busy making something, taking out herbs and random ingredients and mixing them in several bowls. I'm not sure whether they were cooking or making a spell. "I'm still not sure what I did wrong."

"You did it right the last time," Helgamine said, "Please get your boney butt off the table for a moment dear. I need the room."

I obliged and move to sit on the steps that went upstairs. "What do you mean I did it right the last time?"

"Well, you finished the phrase with your own words," Zeldabourne chirped like it was obvious.

I glared. "I did that before."

Helgamine looked up and shared a glance with her sister (?). "But those didn't rhyme."

I stared at them blankly.

They went back to work while I turned this new information around in my skull.

"I was supposed to be rhyming?" I snapped.

"Of course. I though the Mayor made that pretty clear," Zeldabourne scoffed.

"What? No, he didn't," I argued, "He didn't mention rhyming at all!"

"….Should he have?" the shorter witch inquired.

"How was I supposed to know that's what he meant?"

"Because…." Zeldabourne trailed off.

Helgamine stopped grinding seeds in her mortar and pestle. She seemed a little confused as well.

I needed to keep talking. Maybe that would clarify some things.

"Why do I even need to learn how to rhyme?" That was the underlying question. For my education in this world to consist of rhyming words seemed strange.

The witches gaped at me.

Helgamine was the softer personality (though not by much), so she spoke before Zelda could blow up. "How else will you be able to sing?"

Now it was my turn, once again, to be dumbstruck. "Sing?"

"Yes, of course, _sing."_

" _What?"_

"That seems to be a favorite word of yours," Zelda grumbled at me.

Helga ignored her and set the pestle down before she could hit the other witch with it. "We sing, Anna, to express ourselves. Don't humans?"

"Well…yes…but…" I shifted. "People don't just…sing…for no reason."

"Don't they?"

I opened my mouth before shutting it with a sharp clack. I could recall times when my friends and I broke out into _Bohemian Rhapsody_ in the lunch room because we felt like it. A movie came out last year, _The Lion King._ There's a song called _Hakuna Matata_ that I had taken to singing when someone around me was stressed.

I guess it's not a silly as I thought…

"When you make up a song, isn't it usually a rhymed poem without music?" Helgamine added.

"But why do you need me to learn how to spontaneously come up with a song?"

"I'm…honestly not sure how to explain it to you…" Helgamine admitted almost sheepishly. "It's…difficult to…You see singing is very important because of…ah…"

"We…" Zeldabourne tried to continue Helgamine's thought but found herself at a loss as well.

They were taken aback at my question. How were they supposed to explain something so traditional to someone who already had a culture set in their mind, such as myself?

No newcomer had asked questions like I had before. They simply went along and slipped into the life of a citizen without too much fuss.

I was a difficult newcomer. Even then I realized this. I felt bad about it, but I couldn't just go along and do as I was told without knowing why.

The witches both sighed, and I looked down embarrassed.

"Don't fret Anna," Helgamine said, "It's our fault for not having an explanation for our own behavior."

"As soon as we find out why we sing, you'll be the next to know," Zeldabourne said almost under her breath with a troubled expression.

I was quiet for a moment. "Do…do you rhyme when you make up spells?"

There was a possible use.

Zeldabourne perked up and snapped her fingers, "Aye! That we do."

Helgamine nodded, "We're so used to coming up with rhymes on the fly that we rarely spend too much time on wording. Don't misunderstand. Syntax and word choice could mean the difference between life in death in a spell, but I suppose we've had a lot of practice."

I nodded, interested. "Could you make up a rhyme right now? A spell. Or a song?"

"Darling," Zelda laughed, "I've thought up at least ten while we've been talking."

Helgamine nodded, and they both started a slow chant, deciding not to add much of a musical tune to it.

"Darkness falls when light first fades. Nevermore guides Death's brought maids. By dawn's first break a creature arose. Stone light bone like whiten rose. When met to face by King's calm hand, twin feet streak across cold land. With Wind at heels and trees a snare, the Rose meets darkness before our care."

My "breath" caught as I listened. It was a haunting rhythm, and the words made we shiver.

They kept going, faces unchanging as they quietly went back to work with their herbs. The rhythm changed.

"With danger past and darkness last. The Rose first thought was safety sought. Gated iron dark. No sound of lark. The King called on Nevermore. And thus, the Raven guided a rose once more."

They trailed off almost in a whisper with an echo of finality that chilled me.

I didn't say anything for a moment. I didn't want to destroy the atmosphere they left me with.

They continued to wait for my response in silence.

I watched as each witch's work split into two projects, and I found that Zeldabourne was making potions to pour into little glass bottles while Helgamine was the one making breakfast.

I didn't speak until the taller(ish) witch pulled a tray of what looked like blackened cinnamon rolls out of the toothy looking oven.

I didn't fully understand some of the lines, but I could tell it was about the Gatekeeper helping me get into town a couple days ago.

"That was beautiful…"

"Hm. Interest choice of words…"

"Um… it was haunting?"

They both chuckled.

"Who made it up?"

"We both did," Helgamine said.

"When?"

"Just now," Zeldabourne said.

I stared for a moment, trying to comprehend. "But you were in sync."

"Yes?"

"How did you know what the other was going to say?"

Helgamine cackled again, "Happens when you know someone for a couple centuries. You know someone well enough to guess."

I tried to wrap my mind around that and shook my head, putting a hand to my forehead in amazement.

"You should go walk around town for a bit," Helgamine suggested while Zeldabourne nodded. "I hear some citizens were considering inviting you to have breakfast with their family."

"Who?"

"Eh. Several. So, I supposed it's whoever can get to you first." Zeldabourne shrugged without looking up from focusing on the blue liquid she was pouring into a vial.

"I…okay…" I nodded, standing. I walked to the curtain that was my exit. I paused then looked back, "That…that was a very lovely poem…"

"Glad you like it. It's for you after all."

I wasn't sure how to take that, so I left.

After I was gone, Zeldabourne looked toward Helgamine. "Why does she seem surprised that we could come up with a poem for her?"

Helgamine shrugged. "She didn't know fear. Perhaps she doesn't know love either?"

"…No…she loved those children. Siblings. And that Mark human. She was willing to risk Jack's anger so quickly just to see them again in the cauldron a few hours ago."

"I wonder if they loved her back…"

"Why wouldn't they? She's a scream."

Helgamine shrugged with a small chuckle, "Of course. If _we_ like her, why wouldn't they? Perhaps I'm assuming too much."

"You always assume too much."

"Shut your pie hole and go open up shop unsavory wench."

"Hello Pot, I'm Kettle."

"That joke needs to die."

"If we're using it, it probably has."

I was already gone by that point, but as I look back a week later, I probably should have just stayed inside and hid under my bed. It's not exactly lonely under there, but it would have been better than the humiliation I accidentally subjected myself to.

* * *

 _A Name and A Rose_

Darkness falls when light first fades

Nevermore guides Death's brought maids

By dawn's first break a creature arose,

Stone light bone like whiten rose

When met to face by King's calm hand,

Twin feet streak across cold land

With Wind at heels and trees a snare,

The Rose meets darkness before our care.

With danger past

And darkness last

The Rose first thought

Was safety sought

Gated iron dark

No sound of lark

The King called on Nevermore.

And thus, The Raven guided a rose once more.

 **Here's my challenge to you: what do you think the poem means?**


	15. Chapter 15: It's Knot Funny

**Hey readers! You guys are awesome! It's been almost a year since I first posted this story. I'm glad I'm keeping up with it now. I checked the stats on this story and they go like this. Ever since I published Chapter One March 28, 2016 this story has had 3,840 views, 19 followers, 22 favorites, and 16 reviews as of March 23, 2017. That's pretty good for a fandom that doesn't have regular year-long visitors. Still, don't forget to Fav, Follow, and Review. Let's try to even out those numbers!** **THAT'D be the day! That's a lot of views, but this site isn't so comprehensive with its stats. Not that many people actually like this story. And repeat visitors are counted in that number. Just this month there have been over 90 people who glanced at the first chapter but only about 30 kept reading. Yeah. I know. The first chapter is super long.**

 **Also, can anyone make a good Jack impression? I was thinking of an acquaintance (I'd call them a friend, but we don't hang out enough) I know who has blindness and about how annoying Siri or Cortana is when they read Text-to-Speech. So, I'm thinking of having an "audiobook" narration on Tumblr. But I suck at imitating Jack and half of well…everyone. I recorded myself reading chapter one and it lasted almost a whole hour. Sorry about that. (Funny story: I stayed up late the other day and dozed off listening to it and scared myself awake when a part came where I yelled a line. Fell out of my own chair…I'm not making this up.)**

 **If you're interested in voicing Jack (or anyone else) or you just want to gush about how awesome an idea this is, PM me or drop a review.**

 **Ok. Long Author Note Over.**

 **(Special request at the end.)**

* * *

Chapter 15

It's Knot Funny

Anna thought her finger dexterity would be the death of her. Or second death?

She could still barely hold anything without dropping it the first two dozen times. Scissors. Spoons. A mug of cider.

She dropped them all.

She started to think the witches were getting rather cross with her, what with all the messes she was making.

Granted, it wasn't her fault. But being able to hold things would have saved a lot of trouble. Then she might have been more inclined to stay inside instead of going out to sit on the fountain with a length of rope Helgamine gave her.

However, she got in their way inside. She knew that. The witches were subtle, but she could tell they wanted her outside and…out of the way.

"Whatya doing?"

Anna jumped and yelped before swearing in her head for being so skittish. She really needed to get a handle on this fear thing.

She dropped the rope she was playing with, and a smaller hand reached out to pick it up from the cobblestone.

The monster child inspected the rope and the various knots Anna had tied.

"What you tying knots for Ma'am?" they asked, looking up at Anna with feigned innocence.

Anna frowned at the little girl but quickly snapped her skull back to a small smile. "Well…uh…my hands don't work very well so I thought I'd practice with some knots I know."

The little pale green girl looked at the rope she still held. "Do you know a lot of knots?"

Anna nodded with a grin. "I've always been really good at them." She took the rope back and tried her best to quickly untie all the knots before starting a new one. "My friends were Boy Scouts, and they got me interested. I always liked them. Well, I loved my friends of course, but I meant the knots. Some are really useful."

"What's a Boy Scout?"

"Um…well they're in an organization. It's like a club of boys who learn life skills."

"And knots are life skills?" The girl looked unconvinced.

"Yes?"

"Huh. That's hilarious miss, cuz I'm a _girl,_ and I know one knot, and it's for killing people. _Knot_ a very lifey skill."

The girl took the rope away from Anna's fumbling fingers and went to work, ignoring the flash of amusement Anna had from the pun.

Then Anna frowned at the girl's rudeness, but let her have the rope. She leaned back against the fountain, kicked off the ill-fitting shoes she had found among her box of welcome gifts, and watched as the girl deftly wrapped one rope end around an S-bend to create a head sized loop. Anna could already guess just what kind of knot she was tying.

"There. See?" the girl proudly held up a Hangman's Noose after less than a minute.

"That's pretty good," Anna admitted. "It's not just for hanging people, though. It can hold a lot of weight so sometimes rescuers use it to save lives."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Anna stared at the girl for a moment.

Is everyone here a psychopath?

The girl untied the noose and handed the rope back, "Here. You do one."

"A noose?"

"No, something else!"

"…" Anna looked down at the rope, trying to decide which knot to work.

Her long, ungainly fingers were shaking from the start as she struggled to hold the loops and bends in place.

The knot sprung apart, and Anna sighed in frustration. She began tying a simpler one.

"I was trying to tie a Celtic Knot. It's mostly for decoration," she explained at the girl's questioning look.

"Well, you suck at it."

Anna mumbled, hands not quite doing what she wanted them to. Her fingers were too long, and it was almost like working with gloves that were too big, with chopsticks for fingers as if these hands weren't quite her own.

Well, they weren't. This was a new body.

"I'm usually a pro at this."

"Well, you're _knot_ now." The girl broke down into insane giggles.

"You're a fascinating personality, kid." Anna snickered. She felt something _like_ a tongue poke out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. She found it weird to have a tongue that appeared on a whim, but she was getting used to it. (Not really.)

"Me? A kid? _Please_. I'm probably, like, _a hundred_ years older than you," the girl scoffed.

"Is that so…"

"Yeah. You're just a little baby."

"You're not a very nice girl."

The kid grinned. "I like you. You talk to me longer than most grown-ups here. They don't know how to have fun. What are you doing out here anyway?"

It was a little slow in the town square currently. Anna guessed it was just the ebb and flow of the town's strange natural schedule. However, the few people that were there were staring at Anna and the girl with strange expressions.

Anna was confused by most of their looks. There was disgust. Concern. Anger. Were they looking at her?

She wasn't inclined to believe so, not after they were so welcoming to her, unless not knowing how to rhyme was a horrible crime.

... Well, of course, the end of _that_ sentence rhymed!

"I…came outside to walk. I'm a little restless. Still wound up from earlier."

"Ooooh, what happened earlier?!"

Anna eyed the girl suspiciously. "I got into an argument with the Mayor during a…lesson…"

She jumped when the girl burst out cackling, her pointy hat tilting haphazardly, and several other citizens looked even more uneasy as they tried to focus on whatever their assignment was.

"I knew I liked you! We've meant to get back at him for a while. What'd you do to him? Hmm?"

Anna looked at the enthusiastic seven-ish-year-old with a look that said she wasn't quite sure what to make of the witch. "I didn't know he wanted me to rhyme."

The young witch seemed disappointed. "Rhyming? That's it?"

"I didn't know how. Or why I had too."

"But rhyming's so easy, even _Barrel_ could do it!" the girl complained, completely ignoring the fact that there was one tradition that even she followed, though she didn't know why.

Anna's brow bone twitched upward. "Who's Barrel?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "One of my stupid brothers. Barrel's the youngest. He's so dumb, he couldn't tell the difference between a lollipop and one of my scorpions."

"That's cause you put them in my lollipop box! It's not my fault they jumped at me!" a young voice shouted from a nearby alley before being muffled with a thud and harsh clanging noise.

Anna's hands were on a shaky autopilot, so she accidently was startled into giving a sharp tug on the rope. This tightened the knot while it was around her wrist.

She stared at it. "Oh, dang it," she muttered. She shook her left hand, though she already knew that wouldn't work. It didn't help that her wrist was so slender being all bone. Unfortunately, the knot she was tying gets tighter the smaller the object it's around. Plus, it's almost impossible to get off once tightened unless you cut it. It's called a Constrictor Knot for a reason…

Why on earth did she decide to practice that one?

Honestly…

She looked at the witch girl distractedly as she picked at the rope like a scab, trying to untie it.

"I take it that's him?" she said in amusement.

"Lock, you dummy! You were supposed to keep him quiet," the girl growled into the alley.

A snarling boy with bright red hair and a lashing demon tail stalked out of the dark, dragging a whining rounder boy with green hair by the ear.

"You never said that!" he snapped at the girl as they crossed the square.

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did, you stupid face!"

"I hate you and _your_ stupid face."

"Look in a mirror sometime you pig."

"Hi," Anna said simply, with a deadpanned expression. She could already tell these kids were _mostly_ just talk, perks of being a big sister and being used to hearing arguments like this.

The redhead stopped in his tracks as he noticed the skeleton was still there.

"What're you looking at!" he said aggressively.

The girl hit him in the back of the head, "This is the new arrival, you idiot! Be.. _nice."_

The way she said "nice" was more worrying than anything else.

Barrel, the green haired kid apparently, looked Anna up and down. "You?"

"Yes. The person you've been eavesdropping on?" Anna quipped.

"We weren't eavesdropping," Lock vehemently denied. "We just didn't care about Shock wanting to say hi like a _girly-girl_."

"Uh huh," Anna said, so far unfazed by their behavior as 'Shock' kicked Lock's shin. "You kids going to introduce yourselves or what?"

Oh, the looks on their faces…

"Lock!" the redhead crowed.

"Shock!" the girl giggled.

"Barthel," the 'youngest' spoke around a large piece of candy in his mouth.

Shock glared at him for ruining the introduction.

"Annalise. Nice to…I'm mean… _horrid_ to meet you."

"Eh. Whatever," Lock said, with a scoff, "You don't look so scary. Barrel here was running around going on about how much like Jack you look. All super scary and stuff. Maybe he's going blind."

"Am not," Barrel scowled at Lock, swallowing his candy for the sake of speaking, choking be damned.

"Are too!"

"I'm not sure what you were expecting," Anna said with a sigh.

So, we have a snappy stubborn girl, tough guy kid and a bullied little brother. Huh…

Lock just shrugged with a mean-spirited glint in his eyes.

"So, I hear the Mayor's been giving you trouble?" Lock mentioned nonchalantly, trying to sound cool and older than he looked.

"It wasn't like that…"

"Don't let him give you a hard time. You'll be all right if you stick with us," Lock said.

"Yeah, no one messes with us," Shock crowed proudly. "We pretty much run this town!"

"Until Jack catches us," Barrel muttered.

Anna smirked at their antics as both older children swung at Barrel, but missed when he ducked. They ended up smacking each other.

"Nice duck, Barrel. Thanks, but I think I'll be okay," Anna said with a small smile.

Lock rubbed his sore nose and looked at her, "You sure, toots? I'll let you in on a little secret." He gestured for her to lean in. "Not everyone here is as cavity sweet as you think. Turn around for one moment, make a couple mistakes and WHAM! They stab you in the back." He glanced around with a glare.

Anna wasn't persuaded to take him seriously, much less believe him. But she was a little worried at the serious bitterness in his voice. He believed what he was saying.

"I'd rather see proof of such with my own eyes," she said calmly.

"...What eyes?"

Shock rolled her eyes again before they landed on the rope hanging from Anna's wrist.

Lock was milking it too hard. Time to switch tactics.

"That's one weird bracelet," she said with a high-pitched cute voice that made her want to tear her own throat out. Shock reached forward and tugged it lightly like a cat playing with a toy.

"It's not," Anna muttered, gathering the extra length in her hand to keep it out of their reach. "Look it's been…eh…awful…and all, but I need to go find something to cut this off with."

"Your hand?" Shock seemed a little giddy. Not quite where the skeleton was going with that, but okay then!

"…the rope."

"Oh, right."

Lock's grin widened ever so slightly as he caught on. "Hey! We have some scissors at our house. You could use those."

"…" Anna looked at him for a moment. "Your house?"

"Yeah! Mom and Dad actually wanted us to come get you for dinner," Shock added, smiling widely, one hand behind her back.

There are benefits to eavesdropping on the witches' house.

Barrel looked at Lock and Shock a bit confused but nodded anyway.

Anna snorted, "I thought you didn't think I was scary enough." She absentmindedly slipped the old shoes back on her feet as she listened.

"Well, you're not too bad. For a girl."

Anna considered it for a moment. Helgamine did say some families were looking to have dinner with her sometime. Would it be rude to ignore an invitation?

On the other hand, these kids were so rude and mean-spirited to each other that she wasn't sure she wanted to meet their parents.

She listened as they went back and forth, alternating from stressed whispers to nasty insults and back again as they schemed without worrying about her seeing them do so.

She was far less concerned about the whispering than she should have been, then again, she never met them before so underestimation was understandable.

Maybe these were the kind of kids that were bullies to little kids, tough guy/gal actors to a teenager, and innocent angels to adults.

Maybe it wasn't too bad. Maybe this is just how some kids act in this world.

The mummy kid from earlier was shy, though…

There was something wrong.

She didn't want to assume, but the way Lock, Shock, and Barrel spoke didn't really leave room for parents.

Anna stumbled when Shock grabbed the tail of her rope out of her other hand and pulled her along by the wrist like it was a leash.

"Ow! Stop. Shock, I can walk," Anna snapped, tugging back.

"You're too slow," Shock complained, while the boys followed behind.

Anna rolled her eyes but followed the little witch after harshly yanking away the rope, unfortunately tightening the knot even more by accident. She continued to pick at the Constrictor with her other hand.

One consequence of being dead was that she didn't have any blood to cut off to her hand. So, that was a plus, she supposed…

Had she known Lock, Shock, and Barrel, first of all, she would have run the other way. Second, she would have known something was up when instead of leaving town through the gates, they went farther into town toward their so-called "house."

But she didn't know where they lived. They knew this.

A few minutes later, she almost stepped on Lock when the group came to an abrupt stop.

"Here we are!" Shock said arrogantly.

Anna's black circles widened.

It was a huge mansion. Large and gray, it loomed above them like a mausoleum.

Anna was a little disturbed because it looked much smaller from a distance. She briefly wondered if Skellington Manor was the same way. She had seen the inky mansion in passing.

"It's big."

"Mom and dad are pretty _important_ in town. Come on!" Shock quickly turned and whispered something to the boys who both grinned and ran ahead inside after sharp nods.

Shock took Anna's hand, making the skeleton bend almost all the way down due to their disparaging body sizes.

They went inside and immediately Anna felt something was horribly out of place.

Before she could figure out what it was, Shock grabbed the bottom of Anna's dress and pulled her into a kitchen.

"Mom's not home yet, but we can get dinner started for her," Shock said far too sweetly with a giggle.

Anna frowned. "Isn't it three in the morning?"

"What do you know?" Shock crossed her arms.

Anna put up her hands. "I'm not very hungry yet, how about a snack instead," she deflected.

"Shock! Shock! I did it! I got all the pictu—." Barrel was cut off when Lock ran in behind him and clamped a hand on the youngest's mouth.

Anna raised a browbone.

"The picnic stuff," Lock laughed with a nervous eye roll.

"Oh, we're going on a picnic now?" Anna said, in an odd voice.

"Nope. We were just..uh..thinking of one later," Shock saved.

Anna just glanced around the kitchen.

"No one's home," she noted.

"Well, we are," Barrel said. He held up a couple pieces of candy corn shyly, "Would you like some?"

Anna grinned. She took the candy and pocketed it, "Thanks so much. I just remembered, I didn't get any candy this year. I'll save it for later, okay?"

Barrel looked horrified at the idea of no candy for Halloween and nodded vigorously while Lock and Shock glared at him from behind the skeleton. He never shared his candy! Why share with _her?_

Anna glanced around unsuredly, "Where are the scissors?"

"Aw, that can wait! We wanna show you around!" Shock grabbed the bottom of the skeleton's dress again and dragged Anna out of the kitchen.

Anna tried to focus them back on the scissors, but gave up when she was drowned out by the three kids running around showing her the house.

She couldn't help but notice that, while they talked a lot, they didn't really say much. They were oddly vague about their home.

"Hey look- the office. It has officey stuff," Lock had said.

Anna frowned. She found it weird how they didn't have any stories about the place. They didn't mention things like their favorite hiding places, which couch they jumped on more, where their bedrooms were, which gargoyle was the weirdest, or any basic things that would make kid proud of their house.

"How long until your parents come home?" she said when they came back into the kitchen. They had been there nearly an hour and she was a little concerned about some of the things they rambled about.

"Oh, it will be a while," Shock said with a giggle, which the boys joined.

Anna was starting to feel even more uneasy.

"Maybe I should go outside and wait until your folks come back." She shuffled, stepping back toward the door.

"Maybe you can help set the table!" Shock said enthusiastically. She climbed up onto the counter. "Here, Lock! _Hand her this plate why don't you."_ Shock smirked deviously.

Anna panicked as the dish was thrust toward her, forgetting about the rope around her wrist for the moment.

"W-wait! I can't!" she was forced to grasp for it when Lock "lost" his own grip and dropped it into where her hands should be.

Ever try picking up a glass marble with metal chopsticks?

She had it for a whole second before it slipped and crashed to the floor with an almighty shatter, fragments going everywhere.

The four stared at it for a moment before the three young kids burst into raucous laughter.

Anna winced, "I'll clean it up."

"Oh, don't worry about it! Mom breaks stuff _all_ the time. She won't mind. You might hurt yourself being all thumbs like that," Lock assured, his worrisome grin back. "Just leave it."

"I don't know…"

"That was funny. Here, try again!" Shock reached out to hand Anna a bowl from the cabinet.

"No!"

It was too late. Shock let the second dish drop, and like the first, it shattered.

"Oops," Shock deadpanned.

"Oh, relax will you?" Lock said at the look on Anna's face. "The Ma…uh…I mean _Ma_ has so many dishes that she wouldn't miss a few."

"Yeah. See?"

To Anna's utter surprise, Shock suddenly took an arm and carelessly pulled out an entire stack of plates and let them fall. She did the same to a pile of bowls before Anna could even react.

The floor was now covered in the fragmented remains of three dozen or so broken dishes.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Anna squeaked while Shock took another plate and broke it over Lock's head.

Barrel giggled and spoke when he got the prompt from his brother and sister, "You're a..a weirdo who remembers how the Real World works right? What makes you think we do things the same way here?"

Anna could see him shuffle a bit, but turned away before she could catch him glance at the door nervously.

"You don't seriously think I'd believe that it's okay to just go wrecking a kitchen for the heck of it," Anna said crossly as she stared at the absolute mess.

"Why not?" Shock reached into a drawer and curiously pulled out a very sharp looking knife.

"It's not…" Anna trailed off, eyeing the sharp object. "Y-you don't just go around breaking your parent's stuff like that."

Shock shrugged and rolled her eyes. Swiftly, with a scary level of accuracy, the little girl threw the knife, striking the wood of a cabinet door right above Barrel's head.

Barrel ducked and whined. "Hey! My turn!"

Anna was freaking out now, "Stop it! You almost hit him!"

Lock looked at her weird. "Soooo?"

He suddenly took another knife that Shock handed him, and with a flick of the wrist threw it at Barrel before Anna could wrestle it away.

The blade hit the green haired boy right in the chest. Deep. He cried out, more in annoyance than anything and shouted at Lock, "OW! Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"Oh, stop being such a baby," Lock said before walking right up and yanking the knife out, bracing his foot against Barrel's chest to do so. Both boys fell onto the sharp dish smithereens.

Anna felt a little sick and weak.

An alarming amount of blood for such a small body dripped…everywhere…

It ruined Barrel's shirt. It was on the crookedly tiled floor. It was on both Lock and Barrel's hands. It was on the knife that Lock tossed aside.

Anna couldn't help but shake and stare, skeletal jaw hung open. The blood was an odd color. Very dark and sickly looking, almost black.

That knife should have killed him.

The kitchen now looked like a murder scene as the boys wiped their hands everywhere without care.

Barrel didn't seem too bothered. He could obviously feel it, for goodness sake, yet he didn't seem to be woozy from blood loss either. It was as if he was so accustomed to the abuse that he didn't care.

That was the creepiest thing about the entire debacle. It reminded her of Gatekeeper.

"That's it!" Anna threw her arms up, her voice a higher pitch than she expected, and stepped to the door, avoiding the sharp shards as best she could. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew these kids were completely crazy. Crazier than she ever was when alive. She didn't know what to do. At the very least, getting the Doctor or Jack seemed like an okay idea.

"Wait. You forgot your tea!" Shock called.

Anna turned to sharply say "no thank you!" but suddenly got a face full of _uncomfortably warm water_. She had been so preoccupied with Lock and Barrel that she hadn't noticed Shock finding a teacup, filling it with water from the sink, and muttering over it until it boiled. Nor did she see the young witch dropping a few leaves into the water.

Anna sputtered and furiously tried to wipe the hot liquid away. It didn't hurt as much as she expected. She was almost….

Numb…

Uh oh.

Now she had another problem.

She was suddenly very drowsy.

As she stumbled, she realized now what had been bothering her when they walked in.

All the picture frames were missing…

* * *

It was much brighter, though cloudy, outside when she finally woke up, a crick in her spine in the neck portion.

"Oh, my head," Anna whined and rested the aching body part on the table, taking in sharp breaths in attempts to clear the fog away.

She moved her foot slightly and froze at the sound of something crunching.

She opened her eyes, wincing at the tearing skull ache and dared to look up.

"Oh…"

The place was a mess…and it wasn't even the kitchen.

She was in an office of some kind, sitting in a large leather office chair that was somehow too short yet too big for her.

It was Paper Hell. Everywhere. Papers… _everywhere._

The already lopsided curtains were pulled down. One window was smashed. That was the crunching sound she had heard under her feet.

Books were pulled down and strewn around the room in a haphazard expression of a demon, ghoul, and witch's idea of art.

If the kitchen was the same as she last saw it and this room was so utterly chaotic, she could only fear what the rest of the house was like.

Anna stared blankly at the mess before a thought occurred to her.

She didn't know who's house she was in and the place was trashed with no sign of the culprits in sight.

And she was the only one there…

She needed to find someone to explain everything t—

Her attempts to stand up were immediately foiled by her own arm when she was humorously (humerus-ly?) yanked back with a shout. The socket almost came loose.

She cried out as her feet went out from under her and she fell to the floor, the chair tilting for a second before losing its hang time and crashing on her.

There was another crash as a lamp fell.

"Oof!" she huffed as the lamp hit her ribs and broke in half. She struggled the heavy chair off her, head pounding. "What the…"

She tried to tug her arm out, but it was stuck.

She looked to see what she was caught on and immediately wanted to hurt someone. Or three someones.

The Constrictor Knot was still around her wrist….and the other end was tied in a perfect copy around a nearby table leg.

She wasn't going anywhere.

The newly destroyed lamp that was previously on top of the table mocked her.

It was a heavy table too, and the knot was tied in that particular place that one couldn't just slip the leg out.

Anna was trying to think of a way out of this when the sound of a front door opening startled her.

A second later, an upset shout echoed through the mansion.

She tried to lift her head up, but hit it against the desk.

"Ow!" she hissed.

She heard hurried stomping and the angry house owner appeared in the office doorway, utterly speechless at the mess.

Anna froze at who it was when they locked eyes and eye-sockets awkwardly. Just great…

"I swear this isn't what it looks like…" she said sheepishly.

A paperweight that had been teetering on the edge of the door-frame fell on the owner's head with a dull thud, knocking them out. Softly, the paper it was on top of floated down.

It said, in terrible handwriting and with misspelled wording, "Yur Welcom! Trick or Treet!"

* * *

 **Those little….**

 **This story's birthday is coming up so I've decided to do something special. I'm accepting an OC request. They can be new or someone from your own story. They can be in the Real World or Halloween Town or somewhere else. I'll decided how often to used them once I look them over. Please don't take it wrong if I don't choose your character. I'm sure they're all great and well thought out, but I need to put the flow of the story first and if they wouldn't work, then I can't use them.**


	16. Chapter 16: Both Ends

**Welp. It's Skeleton Anne the story's birthday! Thank you to every reader so far. You guys and gals are great!**

 **Remember to favorite, follow, and regularly review!**

* * *

Chapter 16

Both Ends

* * *

"TALLER WITCH!"

Helgamine jumped and dropped the book she was in the process of setting back on the shelf. She shouted and lost her balance from her perch on her broom when a cold mist caught her under the arms.

Unfortunately, she phased right through the misty form and fell the six feet to the ground.

Her landing rattled the shelves.

The Soprano Ghost winced and leaned over the counter the look at the witch. "Sooorry Helgaaamiiine."

Helgamine stared up at the ghost. "I'll give you credit for the scare if you help me up."

The ghost let out a nervous wavering chuckle, "Um…booooo?"

Helgamine huffed and took the ghost's outstretched hand, stretching her back like an old woman as she stood. "Maria, if you're going to jumpscare me in the middle of the day, at least have the Halloween decency to pretend like you did so on purpose." She winced in pain and set her spine back into place with a sickening crack.

"I did noooot thiiink it ooouuut," Maria admitted, her sheet like form opening up in resemblance to a sad smile. It suddenly closed. "Deeear me. I gooot siiiide traaacked."

Helgamine frowned as she picked up the book. "Is there a problem, or do you intend to buy something, dear?"

"Nooot toooday. Quickly. The Mmaaayors hooouuuse!"

The witch sighed in irritation, "I swear if that stultus excors nailed his own hand to the wall again in the name of renovation I'm…"

"It's the neewwwcooommmer!"

Helgamine jumped, dropping the book again, "Is she hurt?" She hadn't seen Anna all day.

Zelda had expressed concern, but Helga wasn't nearly as worried.

"…."

"… _Maria…"_ Helgamine said warningly.

If something happened to Anna, Zelda would never let her live it down.

"I doooon't knooow," Maria said sheepishly, her mist curling into itself, "I heard yelling, and Jack came ooouuutside the Mayoooor's hooouuse and said Aaaanna needed yoooour help. He tooold me toooo get yoooouuuu."

"…And you didn't think to check what was going on?"

" _I was a little panicked!"_ Maria shouted in Latin, the only language she could speak quickly in.

" _Alright,"_ Helgamine sighed speaking in Latin as well. She scratched her long nose, " _I'll be there soon."_

The ghost nodded and wispily twirled off.

"Use the door, please," the witch said. She was too late. The ghost simply phased through a wall.

By the time she got to the Mayor's house, Anna had apparently stopped her shouting, and there was a small crowd at the porch.

The front door was wide open, so Helgamine just walked right in, pushing past the Vampires, Harlequin, the Zombie Band, and several other citizens. They let her pass. They were apparently not being allowed inside themselves.

"What happened, babe?" the sax player asked.

Helgamine turned back with a slight shrug before continuing.

"What in Halloween?" she muttered when her eyes laid on the mess.

Every room she passed in the hallway, was trashed.

In the library, every book was pulled off the shelves, the hallway walls were paint splashed by red and pink (where did _that_ color possibly come from), and there were deep scratches in the wood flooring. There were also a few childishly crude phrases painted on the walls.

She pulled up short when she passed the kitchen and blinked.

"Well, somebody died in here…" she quipped cheerfully.

Blood everywhere.

The Mayor was in there, and he stepped out of the icebox at the sound of her voice with a bundle of ice wrapped in a cloth held atop his head.

"…Helgamine, please tell you brought some scissors…" He pleaded, spiral eyes small and pained. He had his white face.

His sharp teeth were pulled into a tight snarl, and his jacket was off and draped over one arm.

Helgamine didn't answer for a long moment as he walked around the broken dishes as best he could. "Two things. Firstly, no I didn't. Second? I find that bump quite fetching." She grinned teasingly, her voice cracking in mockery.

The Mayor rolled his eyes and winced. He gestured to the back of the house, with a thumb. "They're in my study. Them and their needle fingers." He eyed the bloody broken dishes in frustration.

"Helgamine! Is that you?" Anna sounded…distressed.

"Coming," Helgamine called. _Needle fingers?_

"We're back here," Jack's voice drifted from the open door.

"Ow! You're making it worse," Anna complained.

"Sorry… ah..Anna stop squirming, _please!"_

Even Jack sounded cross.

"What is going on…" Helgamine trailed off at the sight.

No. Nothing scandalous. But Helga wasn't sure what to think with Anna sprawled on the ground biting at her wrist as Jack crouched in an odd position working at something under a table nearby

Jack saw her, and his sockets widened. He tried to straighten quickly but tripped on something.

Whatever he tripped on yanked a surprised Anna to the side and nearly knocked her skull against the desk.

Helgamine saw that it was a rope. Not a thick one, but certainly not thin enough to be easily snapped. She frowned when she recognized it as one she gave to Anna at the skeleton's request.

Jack righted himself. "Helgamine, you're here! That was fast." The King brushed himself off and straightened his suit, not noticing Anna glare at him for tripping on the rope.

Helgamine eyed a bookshelf near Jack that seemed a little tilted forward as if someone had climbed it to pull books off. It wasn't in danger of tipping currently, so she put it in the back of her mind.

"Glad to be of any help, Jack. Maria fetched me. She said Anna was…a little _tied up_?"

The witch giggled at the amused smirk Anna tried to hide and the personally affronted expression that twisted on Jack's face before the Pumpkin King composed himself.

"I diiiid noooot maaake such a coooomment," Maria poked her head through the window to defend herself.

Helgamine ignored the ghost and came closer.

Anna held up her hand for inspection. The skeleton seemed to be tied to a table.

Helgamine took Anna's hand and tried to undo the knot.

"What is this? I don't sense any magic keeping it tied this tight," she complained after failing to loosen the knot. Here she was thinking she was pretty good at untying things, upside of having long, thin fingers.

Now she understood what the Mayor meant by "needle fingers." If anyone could untie a knot, it would be the skeletons.

"We already tried that," Jack said.

"It's not magic," Anna groaned, "Just boss rope skills…" She muttered that last part sheepishly.

"Anna, what did you do?" Helgamine stubbornly continued to try prying the knot apart to no avail.

"I didn't do this!" Anna protested. She faltered, "W-well, I did the one on my wrist…b-but I didn't wreck everything and tie myself up."

"Then who did?" Helgamine looked at the skeleton with a slight glare. She was rather fond of the newcomer, but it's only been a few days, and she's already stirred so many things up. The excitement was appreciated, for the most part, but the Mayor's house getting destroyed took the novelty a little too far. At least it wasn't the shop.

Anna tried to say, but her own voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't get the words out. "I- I…."

The lanky teenager huffed and clicked her teeth, a habit Helgamine noticed her developing.

Jack sighed, "I arrived to visit the Mayor only to find him unconscious, his house a mess, and Anna unable to explain what happened."

"Surely you recognized a muting spell?"

"Yes. I was hoping you could break it. Or at least find who put it on her?"

"Pencil," Anna said, "The fact noggle, went bye-bye too num-num nugget. Cheese smells." She clapped a skeleton hand over her mouth and looked at them wide-eyed in horror.

Helgamine stared at the girl for a moment and snorted in laughter.

Anna whined and covered her face in embarrassment.

"Apparently," Jack said with a straight face (somehow), "In addition to being silent about what happened here, every three minutes her words are…nonsense for an additional three minutes."

"Anna," Helgamine giggled, "Say 'Apple.'"

Anna glowered at the witch.

"I'm serious dear. As a witch, I need to find a basis for which word get turned into which."

Anna shifted, deciding not to mention the play on words, and nodded. Hesitantly she mumbled, "Jack's..."

What came out of her mouth next shouldn't be repeated.

Helgamine lost it and burst out laughing before she could stop herself as Anna gasped and covered her face in mortification once again.

She somehow had a faint purple blush going on as she sank into the floor, daring it to swallow her up.

Maybe Helgamine imagined the purple because it wasn't there when she looked closer.

"I...need…a moment…" Jack said carefully and walked out the room, passing the Mayor as he went.

The Mayor was still holding an ice pack and looked confused at the expressions on everyone's faces as he moved out of Jack's way. "Every sharp object in my entire house is missing," he reported with barely concealed annoyance. His head was still on his unhappy face.

"So, we can't just cut it off," Helgamine guessed, embarrassed about laughing at Anna's random, yet inappropriate, comment. She should have expected it. 'Apple' is one of the first words a witch would use for a language basis so of course the spell-caster could have planned for Anna's response, knowing someone would ask her to say that particular word.

"See why I asked if you brought scissors with you?" the Mayor said once Helgamine got her useless gulp of air to recover from the laughing.

"Don't get snippy with me, good sir."

"Sandy Claws is a Tasty Lobster," Anna said, then groaned in frustration.

"I'm going to assume you meant 'excuse me'?" the Mayor guessed. Both he and Helgamine couldn't help but notice the choice of words.

Anna nodded. She looked like she wanted to hang herself on the rope that had her trapped. "I." She breathed and squinted in concentration. "Am. So-ggy Lolipop. Oh, bathtub!"

"Oh, I'm sure the Mayor will forgive you. This obviously wasn't your fault." Helgamine glared at the Mayor meaningfully.

The Mayor scowled, "Give me a bit."

Anna winced, and Helgamine's glare hardened.

"It's taking all I have to not start ranting again," the Mayor defended.

"Perhaps you should go outside for a bit, Mayor," the witch suggested.

"And leave my house as it is! Have you looked around! Maybe it wasn't her fault, but she's involved somehow!" the Mayor lost his composure and broke off into the very rant he was trying to avoid.

"Mayor, calm down," Jack called from down the hall.

Anna frowned in confusion and tried to lean around Helgamine to see where Jack went.

The Pumpkin King…was hiding out at the end of the hall?

Anna winced. Probably for the best. That phrase was embarrassing.

The Mayor took in a sharp breath.

Helgamine took Anna's jaw and turned her face this way and that.

"Have you tried giving her something to write with?" Helgamine said, slapping Anna's hand when the skeleton girl tried to push the witch away.

"Yes. But she can't keep a grip on the pen," the Mayor said. He was holding his hat in his hands and twisting it around as he paced, muttering under his breath, pausing only to answer Helgamine.

"Hey. Don't sit on the chickens!" Anna said, "Oh, shut me up please."

"At least the spell's cycle is wearing off," Helga muttered. She twisted a strand of her hair around a crooked finger, "Assuming you meant that last sentence. Just be still for a moment, dearie. Maria?"

The ghost who had been quietly watching while trying not to laugh looked up, "Uh yeees?"

"Go find a knife or scissors, please? Harlequin or a neighbor should have a pair. There's some in the shop too."

"oOoon iiiit."

Anna watched the ghost fade, "She's tooting."

"Maria is lovely. And a good scarer. But she can be absentminded at times," Helgamine said the last part under her breath.

Suddenly, Helgamine seemed to notice something and giggled, "Ha! You're lucky I keep the basics on me." The Witch pulled out a couple vials from her pocket and looked through them. "Fairly simple spell. Whoever made it put a lot of thought into it, but they're inexperienced…ah here we go. Drink…do not think about the taste."

Before Anna could do it herself, the witch stuck the vial's mouth to Anna's bony jaw.

Anna's eyes had been looking around half-lidded through most of the exchange as the Deadly Nightshade wasn't completely worn off. But as she tasted the potion her eye sockets shot open, and she started hacking, her cough dry and grating. As she did, the monsters didn't notice the bookshelf tilting just a little more.

Jack came back in leaning against the doorframe tiredly.

"Well?" he prompted.

Anna got her cough under control and pushed the vial and Helgamine's hands away. "Gah! That's so bitter." She cleared her throat and said a little raspy, "I..love jelly beans." She sighed in relief and relaxed that something about mouse farts or whatever else didn't escape her mouth.

"Hmm. That should have worked…" Helgamine took off her hat and scratched her head in confusion.

"Oh no, it did. I was just testing," Anna assured. "Three kids. Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They…" She trailed off at the expressions on the adults' faces.

They just looked at her, deadpanned and tired.

"You don't seem surprised," she said slowly.

Jack shook his head. "No, we already knew it was them."

"…You didn't say anything," Anna said with a slight groan at the implication that she didn't actually need to subject herself to quotable embarrassment in the first place.

The Mayor muttered something about rules and needing to make sure.

"We needed to fix your voice anyway," Helgamine said, putting her potions away.

"Who are they?"

"Dead meat," the Mayor grumbled. "I have half a mind to…"

"Mayor, please," Jack said. "I'll handle it. They aren't getting away with this."

The Mayor continued to angrily mutter. He held the ice pack with on hand and walked around his study picking up intact objects with his other.

Jack turned to Anna. "They're…just some trouble making children."

"Lock stabbed Barrel for fun and smeared the blood all over the kitchen," Anna deadpanned. "That's a little more than 'trouble making'."

"I _know_. They have _such_ potential," Jack sighed regretfully while Anna stared at him with a grimace.

When she was alive, she would have laughed at that.

Helgamine glared at nothing in particular, "Those Boogie's Boys. Why we haven't banished them is a mystery to me."

Jack started. Surely, she didn't mean that. "There's still just children."

"They've been _children_ for the past fifty years," Helgamine said, forgetting her usual worry about opposing Jack.

Anna carefully held a blank face as she listened. She didn't know those three kids enough to jump to conclusions, she thought, but being drugged and framed certainly gave her some opinions.

They were mean. They didn't care that they could hurt people or about personal property. Their pranks were so severe that even other citizens were wary of them.

Helgamine, who spent an hour giving a serious critique of Anna's pranking ability with Zeldabourne, was bringing up banishment.

Anna didn't know what that implied, but it couldn't be good.

And who the heck was Boogie (kind of a stupid name) and why was Lock, Shock, and Barrel his or her boys? Especially when one of them is a girl.

"We'll discuss this at a later time," Jack said, shutting off the conversation. "I'll make sure they're disciplined today in addition to having to help clean up in here. Let's get you untied Anna. Do you think we can try detaching your hand?"

Anna shuddered and glanced around, "I don't think so Mr. Skellington."

"It's just Jack, please. And that's alright. We'll just...we just have to wait." Jack glanced out the window.

Maria was taking a while.

"Did you hear me earlier, Jack?" the Mayor asked, furiously gathering a stack of papers and setting them on the bookshelf.

"About them taking every knife in the house? Yes."

"Not just my knives!" The Mayor's spun around completely around, landing back on the unhappy face, "Anything that can be used to cut! Letter opener! My chainsaw!"

"Chainsaw?" Anna said.

"MY CHAINSAW!"

Anna backed off as Jack calmed down the Mayor again.

"They must think this hysterical," Anna grumbled, biting at the knot again. She held her tongue, but she had to admit it was a pretty creative prank if one wasn't concerned with knocking people out and wrecking someone's home. Gears were turning. What to do in retaliation that wouldn't be inappropriate…

Helgamine stood up and dusted herself off. "Maria's taking too long. I'm going to look for something."

Something shifted and caught Jack's socket. He straightened suddenly.

"Look out!"

The other three monsters looked up at his shout as the bookshelf Helga noticed earlier tipped a little more at the weight of the papers the Mayor placed on a shelf.

Anna gasped in a terrified breath as the bookshelf start falling, a dull creak echoing through the room. The rope was keeping her in the path of it, and there wasn't enough time for the adults to try pulling her out if they could.

She panicked and pulled at the roped as the shelf tipped. She needed to escape! "Come on! Come o—."

The air was knocked out of her ribcage as she suddenly came loose and her momentum threw her out of the path of the furniture.

It crashed to the floor with a solid crack that rattled the house. A picture frame fell to the ground after a moment.

"Are you alright?!" Helgamine said. She was too short to help Anna up but did her best to check for fractures.

"I-I'm fine," Anna said stunned as Jack helped her up quickly. She stared at her wrist.

She didn't expect it to be there, thinking it was her arm that popped off.

"Did the rope break?" Jack asked upon noticing Anna in one piece.

He and the Mayor looked at the heavy furniture, the Mayor a little more concerned about the floor damage and cracked shelves. But the newcomer was important too.

It would have broken several bones had it fallen on Anna.

"N-no…" Anna bent down and pulled out the rope. She froze. "That's weird. It untied on both ends…"

"Let me see," Helgamine took the now loosened rope, standing on her toes to reach it from Anna's hand.

Both ends were undamaged and knot-free.

"Perhaps we loosened it," the Mayor suggested.

"But both ends came apart at the same time?" Anna asked. She was in far more disbelief than the adults, knowing just how tight that knot could be.

"Perhaps," Jack said, taking his turn inspecting it. After a moment, he handing it to Anna. "You're very lucky Ms. Anna." The skeleton chuckled, "I should introduce you to an acquaintance of mine. Luck is his thing."

"I guess," Anna mumbled staring between her previously bound wrist, the table leg and the rope that trapped her to it. She probably imagined it, but she thought she saw the rope untie itself.

Helgamine busied herself with straightening a distracted Anna's wrinkled new dress and muttered. "I think that's enough excitement for today. Let Jack handle those imps."

Anna mumbled something.

How does a rope untie from both ends at the same time so perfectly? It doesn't make sense. Even with two supposed "weak" spots, _something_ has to give first.

Why was she so bothered by this?! That's just silly. It probably just slipped loose…somehow.

Now her headache was back…great…


	17. Chapter 17: Ignition

**Author's note: I want to apologize for how long this story is. Most published novels are about 90,000 words and take me (at my normal reading speed) about 2-3.5 hrs for me to read. However, it's only chapter 17, and over 80,000 words have been written in this story, and we aren't even halfway through. I'm so sorry. I plan to go back long after this story is finished and rewrite it to move at a faster pace.**

 **Little bit of daily encouragement. If you hate your flaws, remember that if you were a character in a story, readers would love you all the more for them.**

 **Sorry for some language later. I try to avoid it.**

Chapter 17

Ignition

* * *

 _I haven't seen Jack. I guess he's been busy._

 _I don't even know why I'm worried about it._

 _Of course,_ _he doesn't have time for me, and there's no reason why he should…_

 _But still…I like him. He's fun to talk to._

… _was fun to talk to. Like I said…he's…busy._

 _I…uh…really hope I run into him soon. For some reason, he makes me more comfortable than many monsters here. I don't know why._

 _I debated tracking him down and telling him about those dreams I had before I died. It seems like a bad idea. I'm not sure why. I feel like I'm not supposed to know about those things. I'm not supposed to know about_ _him,_ _about_ _Jack, like that._

 _Maybe those dreams weren't some freaky ESP vision. Maybe they're just…dreams? If they are, I will look silly asking Jack if they happened when they never did. Yeah…_

 _In other news, Lock, Shock, and Barrel have interesting voices. All rasping and on a higher pitch, almost like they're young and old at the same time. The witches were similar, except they were more on the old wavering spectrum._

 _Jack and Sally each have my favorite voices of the people here. Sally is light and sweet, while Jack has some of that weird proper American accent. The North Atlantic accent I think it's called. They used to teach it for public speaking it old prep schools. It's the weird black and white movie star accent. It's not real but acquired. Almost British, but not quite._

 _Sorry (why am I apologizing to my journal?) if I sound weird when I write about voices. I have an echoic memory. I can remember voices and hear them in my head and make them say what I want, even if I haven't listened to that person say those words. I use to think everyone can do that, but apparently, it's kind of rare. Not as rare as a photographic memory but close. Maybe._

 _I may have lost my ability to not feel fear, but at least I didn't lose that._

 _Basically, a lot of stuff happened this last week. I didn't have a lot of time to think._

 _I don't want to be dead._

 _I really don't. The problem isn't that it feels wrong, more disturbingly, it feels right. Like I was always supposed to be like this. A skeleton. A demon? This…comfortability…is what scares me._

 _Then there's the fear to deal with. I jump at everything. It's so annoying. I try to act straightforward and like my old no-fear self, but I can't help but feel everyone I talk to knows I'm faking._

 _The cat, one of them, came into my room while I was trying to take a nap and jumped on the bed to cuddle._

 _I freaked out and fell out of the bed...I popped my head off. That freaking hurt._

 _Helgamine made me sit at the kitchen table and do nothing but hold an ice pack to my neck and read a book._

 _I pretended to read. Turns out my farsightedness did cross over in death. I didn't tell them, though. I don't even know where I could find glasses._

 _That's just one incident. A couple days ago, I opened the door to go outside, and a monster was standing right there about to open the door himself. I screamed when I saw him and ran upstairs._

 _How embarrassing. I'm pretty sure I stayed in my room more out of humiliation than fear._

 _What made it worse was that I had already met that monster. His name is Mr. Hyde, and he has a weird voice that sounds like three voices speaking at once._

 _That's the way my fear works I guess. It just pops up randomly, like my brain suddenly recognizes a monster as a threat even it's been proven they're not._

 _I built up the courage to ask Dr. Finklestein about it. That felt like a big deal. Courage. I never had to worry about that before._

 _I still remember what he said._

"Ah! Well, I'll admit this is a rather unique situation, and I can't be sure. However, I'm sure your perception will adjust to the fear the longer you have it. I'm sorry to say that's just a guess. If you didn't mind visiting once in a while, I would like to do some tests. This is a fascinating phenomenon!"

 _I was pretty noncommittal about those tests. And I forgot to ask about glasses._

 _What he said made sense. I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it._

 _That doesn't make it any easier…._

"Anna?"

"Gah!" she shouted and fell backward out of her chair, dropping the pen and hitting the ground with a skeletal clatter.

She winced and stared up at the ceiling trying to catch her breath. She didn't have a heartbeat to slow down, but she could feel the stress in her bones.

The amused child part of her noted that she sounded like a xylophone when she fell.

"Did I scare you again, Anna?" Zeldabourne said through the door. The witch opened the door and peered into the room, her crooked grin widening as she cackled lightly. "Comfortable?"

Anna groaned a closed her eyes, breathing deeply through her mouth. She didn't have lungs to fill, but the expanding and contracting of her ribs was comforting.

"Are you…alright?" the witch asked. It was against her nature to be overly concerned about anyone's mental well-being, but she and Helgamine were being forced to make an exception in Anna's case.

"Hmph," Anna nodded, peeking out one eye. "What can I help you with."

A few minutes later they were walking down the stairs, Zelda explaining that they were going to meet someone at the graveyard.

"Why do you need help teaching me?" Anna asked, walking sideways down the steep staircase.

"Our body structures are too different."

"Oh…no offense, but wouldn't it be easier if someone who looked more like me was the one that taught me."

"Of course, but there aren't many with such a thin frame like you."

Anna stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "There's Jack."

Zeldabourne shifted and opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it, shook her head, and said instead, "Now Anna, Jack's a…very busy man. He's…probably too busy with Halloween plans to help us."

"I guess…" Anna said using a hand to help her duck under a doorframe, "But you're busy too."

"I asked Helgamine to handle some of my work for an hour."

As Zeldabourne turned away Anna said under her breath a little annoyed, "But I guess Jack can't do that."

If the witch heard Anna, she didn't react.

Helgamine was at the shop counter when Anna and Zeldabourne came downstairs, Anna having fewer accidents with her head since she got in the habit of ducking through doorways.

"Going off?" the taller witch said, looking _way_ up at Anna.

The skeleton and smaller witch where going to meet Dimitri, one of the Shadows, to help Anna practice her Fade.

Zeldabourne nodded. "Soon. You have those fog and frog spells I needed you to finished for me?"

Helgamine pointed toward the counter. "Of course. Before you go, can I borrow you, Anna? The ladder's broken and I need those picture frames on the top shelf."

Anna looked a little up and saw the frames. She blew her hair out of her face. "Sure." She carefully pulled them off and handed them to Helga, feeling triumphant when she didn't drop them. "Um…are these for the Mayor?" Anna guessed.

It had been a week, but the Mayor was still trying to get his home back in order. He needed to replace a good number of things, and he was recently the Shop's best customer.

"Yes." Helgamine took the frames and set them behind the counter in a small cubbyhole.

"Is he still mad at me?"

"Don't worry about the Mayor," Zeldabourne said. "He always cranky about one thing of another. Many things can be replaced." Zeldabourne cleared her throat and lowered her cracked high pitched voice as much as she could to imitate the Mayor, "I'm the Mayor! It is my honor to formally throw a fit because a goat ate my hat!"

"Did that happen?" Anna asked.

Helgamine cackled and nodded, "My turn, sister. Oooh, I'm the Mayor. Hurry with those decorations, Helgamine! We wouldn't want Halloween to be completely RUINED because you painted black stripes instead of orange!"

Anna grinned.

"I'm the Mayor. Time is of the essence. We can't afford to have anyone slacking off making terrible impersonations of me."

Helgamine and Zeldabourne suddenly jumped and spun around, looking around in fear. Their eyes darted toward the door, and they were both soundless, mortified about being caught.

Anna stared at the old ladies in confusion, it was bizarre to see them suddenly so squirrely. "Um…are you okay?"

Helgamine blinked and looked at Anna with a strange expression. "Annalise…was that you?"

"What? Of course, it was. What are you…"

"Did you hear yourself just then?!" Zeldabourne said, sounding a little giddy as she realized the Mayor wasn't actually there.

Anna frowned. "I don't understand…"

"You sounded exactly like the Mayor just then," Helgamine said quickly and very seriously.

Anna shrugged. "I used to do impressions a lot…" She thought the witches were overreacting a bit.

"No no, dear. You don't understand. You literally had the Mayor's voice for a moment there. Here." Helgamine disappeared into the back for a moment and came back with a glass ball. "When the ball is glowing red, it's recording. I want you to try to imitate the Mayor again."

"No. Try to imitate someone else. Try Harlequin," Zeldabourne said hurriedly.

Anna frowned again. "Why are you so…"

"Just do it."

The glass turned red, and Anna went ram-rod straight. "Wait. What should I say?"

"Anything."

"Um…. _I must be a genius. Sally! I need the scissors, please. I must mutilate this dead cat."_

The glass turned to gold as Helgamine stopped the recording. "Listen to yourself."

Anna took the orb and stared at it as she concentrated on listening.

"— _Wait what should I say?"_

" _Anything."_

" _Um…"_

The witches watched as Anna's eye sockets widened considerably at the next words.

" _I must be a genius. Sally_ ," said Harlequin, or at least Harlequin's voice, " _I need the scissors, please. I must mutilate this dead cat."_

Anna's mouth opened a bit in shock. "Is this a prank? Did you do something magicky?"

"Of course not! Those are your own words. You really couldn't hear yourself?"

"No…Yes…I don't think I pay that much attention to my voice, but that was Mr. Harlequin…it's so close I'm scaring myself."

"It's not just close, dear," Helgamine scolded. "It's _exact._ We should know. We've known the Mayor and Harlequin for many a year. We _know_ their voices. And you managed to _scare_ us."

Anna started a bit. "I _scared_ you?"

"Yes!"

"I'm so proud," Zeldabourne whispered half-jokingly. She nudged Anna's hip playfully and winked.

Helgamine continued, "I genuinely thought the Mayor had walked in on us mocking him. That was enough to make me freeze. You did a good job for an amateur, if unintentionally."

"Thanks. I think. I've never been able to mimic like that before. I mean, I did impersonations a lot with my pranks. I managed to make a friend think our school's principal was calling her. But that was over the phone."

"This is so sublime!" Zeldabourne clapped her knobby hands, "We found a power of yours! Echoing of all things! There are so many ways you can use it."

"Echoing?" Anna tilted her head, "Is…is this magic?"

"In a way. In as much way as being able to fly is magic because you have wings. It's ability."

Anna still looked confused, so Helgamine took over.

"Think about the ghosts, dear. What can ghosts do because they're ghosts."

"….Fly through walls?"

"Exactly. Now you can mimic voices because you're you. This really is exciting."

"It's not a skeleton thing?" Anna leaned on the counter as she listened patiently. She wanted to try her new super powers out now. "Fascinating," She attempted to say in Jack's voice, jumping slightly when it came out perfectly. Now that she was aware of her voice, she could hear what she was doing.

"Uh…Not as far as I know," Helgamine admitted, disturbed at the impression of Jack, "If Jack can do it, he's never used distinct voices to scare people. As such, I doubt he can. He does have an impressive vocal range, though."

"And this might not be all you can do," Zeldabourne pointed out.

"…Fading?"

"That's a Halloween thing, dear. Everyone can do it, among other things."

Helgamine nodded enthusiastically. "Quite. What she meant is that you might have more abilities we don't even know about yet."

Anna shuffled. "That's a little worrying."

"Oh, it's completely normal. And harmless, if you learn to control them, whatever they may be."

"Can you do things?"

The witches actually rolled their eyes at Anna.

"Dearie…have a look. We're _witches._ Magic. But I'm better at potions while Helga's a whiz at energy spells."

"Does that mean non-witches can't learn magic?" Anna sounded more than a little disappointed at the idea.

"No, but you'll have a harder time _feeling the_ magic and knowing which magic must go where. You have to learn how to find it, tap it, and use it. A witch has it already, and they just have to learn how to control it," Helgamine chuckled, pleased that Anna was interested in learning magic.

"Oh. Does everyone have a…special power?"

"Most, I suppose. But please understand. Most are not actually 'powers,'" Zelda said.

"Take the Mayor's head for example. He uses his spinning to scare people. You could call it a characteristic rather than an actual power," Helgamine added.

"So…special skill?"

"That's probably a more accurate description. We call them Tricks."

Anna put a finger to her chin in thought. "I wonder what else I could do."

"There's no real trend for when other abilities might come up. But it's not uncommon for powers or skills to pop up around the same time," Helgamine said.

"You should be careful today if that's the case," Zeldabourne added.

Anna nodded, her eyes lit with curiosity and caution.

Helgamine continued, glaring at Zelda for interrupting. "But you really can't tell. It could be years. Or never. Or you may be practicing something you like and find a niche by accident. Often monsters work at something and master it naturally. It all depends on the monster. Was there's any special…talent…you had when alive?"

"I have an echoic memory. I guess that would tie in with this mimicry."

"It seems that way."

"There was that not being able to feel fear thing."

"Hmm. We should consider it..."

"Um. I played piano." Anna said proudly then winced embarrassed. "And I… crocheted and knitted sometimes."

"That's wonderful!" Zeldabourne screeched happily, clapping her hands.

Anna smiled sheepishly.

"If can sell things you make in the shop if you want," Helgamine said offhandedly, "Moving on. If you notice anything strange: things moving when they shouldn't, hearing odd things, seeing things the rest of us can't, tell someone immediately. Don't try to explain it away."

Something nagged at Anna's thoughts. She felt like she forgot something. Like she saw something out of the corner of her eye but ignored it.

Zeldabourne walked past Anna, startling the tall skeleton at the abruptness.

The skeleton looked up. "Where are you going…Zeldabourne?" It was at that moment that Anna realized she hadn't actually been using their names very much.

"To let Dimitri know there's been a lesson plan change and to get the Who. He's an echoer too."

Anna waited until Zelda left before she turned to Helga, "The Who?…Was it naïve of me to believe I was the only one who could do this."

Helgamine cackled, and lightly patted the skeleton's arm. "Perhaps. Who is a living voice after all. Imitating voices and strange noises are what he does."

"…If he's just a voice…what do I speak to?"

"He'll always sound like he's behind you. Just don't _try_ to look at him. We'll all be dizzy before long."

Anna wasn't quite sure what that meant but shrugged anyway. She had a thought and decided to experiment.

Helgamine was ducking behind the counter to get something when she heard the front door creak open and the bell ring.

"Helgamine don't forget those fog and frog spells!"

"Didn't you leave already, Zelda?" Helgamine snapped without looking up. "Go get Who! When he and Anna get started, then you can do the spells yourself."

Anna snorted and broke down in giggles, leaning against the counter to support her giggly, rattling bones.

Helgamine looked up, perplexed at the laughter. "What's so funny?" She realized a moment later that Zeldabourne was still long gone. "Annalise!"

Anna giggled hard and mimicked Helgamine's own cracked voice. _"Hello, dearies! I'm Helgamine, and Anna fooled me twice in a row."_

Helgamine smirked playfully, ignoring the disconcerting feeling of hearing her voice come from someone else's mouth, "Oh that's how you want to play it, girly. Well then, I'd love to see what you plan to eat for dinner tonight. Hmm?"

Anna snapped her jaw shut with a sharp clack but grinned wider and continued to giggle like a hyena.

Helgamine snickered too. Anna's laughter was contagious. It was good to see her almost genuinely happy. "Did you make the door noise too?"

Anna nodded, laughing too hard to answer.

The witches weren't born yesterday. They knew Anna had been acting happier than she actually was to be polite. Even now, Helgamine could tell the laugh was just a little forced. But there was some true joy in her voice. The adjustment will take a while. She was sure even Anna knew this.

They weren't expecting Anna to be staying with them for so long, but the unspoken idea was growing on Helgamine. Still, _Anna's mentor_ can claim her at any time and take her home. The fact that he hadn't was another issue… one she was fairly sure it wasn't her place worry about.

Helgamine had a secret. She felt an amount of guilt about it. She had read some of the journal Anna had taken to writing in, just to get a handle on where the girl's head was. Too much of it sounded human.

Helga's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening for real and Zeldabourne darting in.

"The Who is a bit busy, but he'll be free in two hours," she reported, beelining to the counter. "Give me those spells. I can get them done while we wait."

Helgamine nodded and handed Zelda her things. She noticed the thoughtfully intense look on Anna's skull.

"Don't hurt yourself, Anna. What are you thinking so hard about?"

Anna mumbled something and glanced at Zeldabourne. "Ma'am, did you tell anyone about my ability yet?"

"Just Dimitri and the Who. But word travels fast."

"How fast?"

"Everyone in town will probably know within the hour. Why?"

Anna stood up, "I'm going to go for a walk. Ok?"

"…Well…alright. Just please be back in time to practice with Who," Helgamine relented hesitantly, "What are you planning, Skellygirl?"

Anna just smiled and waved at her as she left.

The skeleton girl with her tall, spindly body entered town square, her still messily cropped hair bouncing as she walked to the fountain. She liked sitting on the fountain and watching people—monsters- mill about their business. But that's wasn't what she was planning this time.

She looked over the crowd, easy to do when you're one of the tallest there.

She spotted someone, though he wasn't who she was initially looking for. But she had been dying (pun intended) to see him all week. Anna didn't know why she wanted to be around Jack. It was a little stalker-ish of her, she knew, but every time she saw him in the square, she wanted to say 'hi.'

At least she made a friend. Anna often stopped by the tailor's shop to talk with Sally when the Ragdoll wasn't busy, and they really got along.

Oddly enough, though Anna was around Sally a lot, Jack never seemed to be around when Anna was.

She even came to tea at Skellington Manor once. She actually came to ask Jack about something, and she even told Sally so. Anna had meant to talk to him for a while about her dreams.

Sally let Anna stay as long as she wanted without prying about Anna's motives, but Jack never came home. Eventually, Anna had to leave.

Apparently, Jack was working at the Town Hall late that day. Or morning. Everyone has a weird schedule here. Not everyone was active at the same time.

"Mr. Skellington!" she called, jogging across the square.

Jack looked up briefly and nodded as Anna approached and she cut through the crowd, "Oh. Ah…hello, Anna." He smiled politely but backed up a little away from her.

She noticed subconsciously and pulled to a stop just outside of his personal space.

"I haven't seen you around, Mr. Skellington," Anna said with a tilted smile.

"I do apologize," Jack said, "But…I have been _very_ busy." He gave her a stern look. "I'm actually on my rounds at the moment. Is there something you need?" He frowned, his soul protesting at the hostility he was showing. It was so out of character for him. But he hid his conflict and just stared at Anna.

"Oh uh…" Anna tried not to flinch. Obviously, the Pumpkin King doesn't have time to chat with a teenager. She may have been imagining things, but she couldn't help but notice Jack wasn't correcting her when she called him Mr. Skellington anymore. "I just um…." She put a hand to her neck awkwardly.

"Spit it out, please," Jack said, a slight bit of terseness bleeding through. He stepped back a tiny bit more as she unconsciously shuffled toward him.

Anna straightened at his tone, a rejected expression on her face, but she kept going, "Two things. Do you know where Lock, Shock, and Barrel are?"

Jack blinked, "They should have just finished their community service for the day. They were checking the sewer levels with the Clown? Why?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say hi. And work on some…reconciliation about the Mayor's house last week."

"…I see," Jack really wanted to enquire further but resisted. "Also, I believe you're supposed to be doing something as well. Did your lesson with Dimitri and Zeldabourne end?"

"Um, not exactly. We had to postpone because…"

She trailed off as Jack not-so-discreetly glanced at the clock tower.

"You gained an ability today," he finished for her, oddly cautious for some reason.

Anna nodded, a little disappointed at how fast word got around. Also, why did Jack seem...afraid?

"Who told you?"

"I overheard Dimitri talking to his wife."

"Oh," Anna took a breath, "My second question is a little more personal, but I've meant to bring it up for a while. Do any monsters…" she shuffled and toed a rock, "Ever…uh….ever have dreams of how they died? Before they came here?"

"It's…" Jack mentally scolded himself for taking concern. He couldn't help it! "Not uncommon. But those who have, keep that to themselves."

"Oh. What about other dreams…"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Anna."

"Like…um…" Anna stared at him for a long moment.

Jack didn't like it. She looked at him like she saw his soul. Like she was seeing someone else. Or someone else.

Anna blinked, and Jack watched as her face dropped, as if she remembered or realized something unbelievably disheartening.

"I…nevermind…" she muttered, looking away, holding her arms close to her. She squeezed her eyes shut and stepped back.

Jack twitched but steeled himself and nodded.

Don't touch her.

Don't touch her.

"Alright. Well, I _really_ must get back to work." He turned and force himself to walk away quickly while Anna stood alone holding herself, emotionally distraught, and wondering if she should trust anyone with her dreams.

Not Jack apparently, even though her dreams were about him. Unless there was someone else named Jack, who tricked a demon and ended up looking exactly like this Jack.

She kind of wanted to cry. It was soooooo incredibly dumb –she knew this wholeheartedly and hated herself for it—but she was partway hoping he would ask her what was wrong and take her to have a long talk with him and Sally at their house. Anna wouldn't have minded Sally listening in.

She barely knew him, but there was something that kept tugging at her. She didn't have a crush on him. She knew that for sure when Helgamine and Zeldabourne were talking and Anna listened, completely clueless as to how Jack Skellington could be _that_ attractive to so many different monsters. The idea of having a crush on Jack was kind of gross to her. For one, he was with Sally and Anna thought that was perfect. Second…Mark. Third…he…felt too familiar.

That doesn't make any sense. Familiar _how?_ And knowing his story and what he looked like when alive doesn't count.

It didn't matter. Jack was acting aloof.

Anna guessed the "giving every citizen attention" thing wore off after they've been there a while.

But that didn't make sense either. Even as she watched Jack's retreating form, he was laughing and giving everyone who stopped him his undivided attention. He was such a good leader.

Did she do something wrong?

She hugged herself a bit, tapping her long fingers against her arms. She wanted to shrink away, and yell at herself for acting so dumb and immature and wanting attention like a pathetic child. She's sixteen for crying out loud! And she was getting married. _Was._ If the latter didn't scream adult and maturity, she didn't know what did.

She was probably just being celebrity shocked. But that didn't make sense either….

Anna had nearly forgotten about her plan to find Boogie's Boys.

Meanwhile, Jack ducked into an alley when he had a moment between talking to monsters and sank against one of the walls.

"What am I doing?" he muttered.

The Mayor, having seen Jack hide, followed. "That's what I want to know," the Mayor said, using his Fade, which he hated to do, to come next to Jack.

Jack chuckled lightly, "Were you eavesdropping?"

"Of course not. But I may have seen the newcomer talking with you, and when you left she looked close to tears!"

Jack winced and sighed. "But I never intended all this sadness."

Mayor noticed the tune. "Don't start singing now…"

Jack snickered, "I didn't notice I was…"

"Jack, you must realize how ridiculous you're acting. You've been avoiding her all week!"

"You don't understand, Mayor."

"…Maybe not."

The Mayor looked up at Jack. "Why avoid her now? You seemed fine at first. Does it have anything to do about rumors of her being a mimic?"

"She's developing quickly. I don't want to risk igniting her."

"... _What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"_

Jack groaned, remembering that he hadn't told his friend everything.

In the meantime, Anna was pacing, spiraling deeper into self-doubt, worrying about what Jack thought of her, yet knowing she shouldn't care. She was messing with her rope again, the same one Lock, Shock, and Barrel used to tie her to the Mayor's table. She wrapped around one hand, then the other as she thought.

"Anna?"

Annalise Grisholme was snapped out of her musings and smiled weakly at Sally.

"Hi!"

Sally frowned at the overly cheerful greeting. She had meant to say 'hello' in passing until she saw Anna's expression.

"Oh, is something wrong?" Sally patted Anna's shoulder gently.

"Nope, I'm good! What's in the basket?"

"Jack's lunch. He always forgets to eat. Are you hungry? There's plenty for both of you to have a snack."

"I really shouldn't take Jack's food."

Sally noticed Anna's grimace. "It's really no problem. Whatever's left should be enough to tide him over until I make him eat dinner."

Anna chuckled at the picture of sweet Sally scolding a stubborn Skellington. Over…sandwiches. Or something.

Sally laughed at the expression Anna made at her private cleverness.

She eventually convinced Anna to sit down with her on someone's porch to eat a little.

"It's a skeleton fish?" Anna picked what was seemingly food by the tail. There were two.

"Good thing you're a skeleton," Sally chirped.

Anna shrugged and gingerly picked it apart and ate each bone. "I like it."

"Thought you might."

They sat for a bit while Anna ate and Sally waited patiently.

The silence was awkward, but Anna wasn't sure if Sally was the person to complain to about Jack.

She jumped and almost kicked Sally when the ragdoll reached up to wipe the moisture out from under one of Anna's sockets.

"Thanks…" Anna mumbled embarrassed.

Sally didn't say anything.

"I…um….I feel kind of lonely," Anna ground out, wanting to disappear. What a dumb thing to say. Maybe that fading trick would be useful. If she could remember how to do it.

"Why?"

"Well…all my friends think I'm dead…I mean I _am_ dead. So, I'll never see them again. Or my family. Or my fiancé…"

"Mark was your fiancé?" Sally asked in astonishment.

"Yeah…I guess. I had a fiancé for about twenty minutes. Then I died."

"You didn't mention that at the cauldron. I'm so sorry."

Anna frowned and blinked away a few more tears. But they welled up anyway. How is she even crying! "I…" her voice caught. That was ironic since catching voices was her thing now. She stared down at the pavement. "Sally? Is Jack mad at me?"

"What? Of course not. What makes you say that?"

"…nothing…"

"…I don't think I believe you. Did Jack say anything?"

"No."

"Did he… _not_ say something?"

The silence was all Sally needed. "I'm sorry for what he didn't say. He can be a bit oblivious at times." The ragdoll sighed.

"…This was a little different. He didn't even want to talk to me."

"Jack loves to talk," Sally mused in confusion, "He'd especially would want to speak to you!"

"Doesn't seem like that," Anna mumbled.

Sally scowled, upset that her dearest friend and lover had somehow made Anna want to cry, who Sally was beginning to see as a little sister of sorts.

It's was very bizarre. Jack was almost always the one considering others before himself. It was one of the traits that made him so likable.

Sally tried to pry and figure out exactly what Jack did or didn't do but Anna refused to answer her, so Sally switched subjects and asked what all Anna missed.

Anna distractedly tied simple knots in her rope as she talked about her life. She couldn't remember half of what she said.

Her little brother's laugh.

Her habit of saying "I love Jelly Beans" to her little sister.

Her dad's perpetual smell of coffee.

Her mom's drawings.

The sun.

Mark and the nicknames he was always coming up with.

She talked a lot about Mark and her family.

Sally laughed at the story about Mark and Anna's first date. "You wore a wedding dress?"

Anna grinned impishly, "What? I was just skipping the drama of dating."

Sally laughed at Anna's playful bluntness. "One thing I don't understand. What's bowling?"

Anna snickered and explained. They talked for a while longer and Anna told Sally about the mimicking Trick she just developed and how she had been planning to use it to revenge prank Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

But she wasn't in the mood anymore.

Sally thought Anna's voice manipulation was amazing. She didn't have much advice to say about pranking Lock, Shock, and Barrel, except that it probably wasn't the best idea. But after saying her piece, she listened in rapt attention as Anna successfully imitated, with no practice, various voices she had already heard, Sally's included.

"You should be careful," Sally joked, "You might end up forgetting your own voice!"

Anna giggled before suddenly cutting herself off. She was staring over Sally's shoulder.

"Anna?"

"Are Lock, Shock, and Barrel supposed to be on the roof?"

"What? No. Where?" Sally looked around but couldn't find the three tricksters.

"Up there. See?" Anna pointed atop the Town Hall at the clock.

Sally didn't see anyone on the crooked roof at first until a small witch hat poked into view for a second before disappearing again.

"What are they doing?" Anna asked as a rope swing was dropped over the side. The makeshift hanging platform hung nearly fifty feet off the ground.

"I'll get Jack," Sally said quickly, brushing crumbs off her dress and hurrying away.

Anna watched in vague respect as all three kids got into the seat and starting lowering themselves next to the large clock that counted the day until Halloween.

Anna realized that they were going to try setting the clock a day ahead. They didn't seem to care about being seen and caught so they must be attempting the prank just out of pure spite.

…They were pretty mad about being punished for wrecking the Mayor's house. Duh.

Other citizens were noticing now and yelling at them to get down.

Anna walked closer until she was with the quickly growing crowd underneath the children.

What they were doing was dangerous. Their weight was entirely held up by friction, and whatever strength Lock had to keep the line tight. How were they planning to get back up on the roof?

"You three!" Jack called up at them angrily, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Lock stuck out his tongue and the other two spit over the side.

Anna ducked to avoid getting smacked in the face by a loogie.

"That's enough! Get down here this instant," Jack snapped.

"Make us!" Lock snapped from the makeshift platform as Barrel and Shock tried to force the clock into movement.

Lock made a mistake by speaking as he lost concentration on his job and all three children dropped a jarring five feet as the rope slipped.

They screamed, and the crowd gasped.

A few citizens wondered why they were concerning themselves. It was Lock, Shock, and Barrel for Halloween's sake.

The rope slipped a little more from whatever they had looped it around on the roof.

"This was a bad idea!" Lock proclaimed upon realizing just how much they messed up.

"YA THINK!" Shock screeched in his face.

Anna couldn't help it. Loudly she shouted up, "Yeah. No duh, SherLOCK."

The personally affronted glare she got from the demon as he poked his head over the side to glare at her almost made the situation all the better. It didn't help that the pun amused the crowd.

Anna sobered as the rope slipped again. Why on earth did she think it was appropriate to make a joke in this situation? They could get hurt!

Lock shouted and gripped the rope tight, his hands burning. "A little help here? Where's your broom?"

"You told me to leave it up there, you dingbat," Shock snapped.

Barrel gasped as the platform creaked and swung in a lazy circle.

"Stay there," Jack ordered, "I'm coming up. Sally go get the witches. Or anyone that can fly."

Before Jack could leave, Anna's sharp farsighted eyes noticed something that made her catch her "breath."

"The rope's breaking!" she shouted and pointed up.

Just as she said that the old rotting rope Lock, Shock, and Barrel decided to use snapped.

A fall from that height as Halloween Spirits might not kill them, but they would be lucky to not have some permanent damage.

The screams were knocked out of the kids' throats as they suddenly stopped falling, their makeshift swing being held up by nothing.

The frayed, snapped end of the rope twitched in the air like a lazy cat's tail, held in place by something invisible while the other half floated uselessly in the air like a day-old balloon.

Shock nervously glanced up, expecting someone like Jack to have caught them. But there was no one there.

The citizens stood still, not quite sure what was going on, until they saw a long, raised hand over their heads.

Anna was staring at the scene, wide eyes and frozen stiff, her hand outstretched toward the three troublemakers and their little platform made of thick, moldy ropes and wood.

There was silence for a very long moment.

"…Huh…" the Gatekeeper said, having been on break at the time.

"What do I do?" Anna squeaked, trying to ignore the murmuring. Her hand twitched a little, and the ropes jerked, the three kids yelling profanities as a response.

Anna froze again and put up her other arm to support the other by the wrist.

She tried not to look away, and Helgamine suddenly appeared in her line of sight. When did she get here?

"Everyone quiet!" the witch ordered, and the murmuring stopped. "You're fine, Annalise. Just be as still as you can for a little longer."

"My head hurts," Anna whispered, her eyes locked on the three Trick or Treaters. She could seriously injure them with the flick of a wrist. Her skull really did hurt, and the headache was worse the longer she held the ropes. There wasn't any "muscle fatigue" except for the effort that came from holding one's arm up.

"I know. Just a little bit longer. Hurry up Zeldabourne!"

Zeldabourne flew up toward the three kids, grabbed each of them roughly by the scruff of their clothes as they protested, set them on her broomstick, snapping only once when Lock had the audacity to complain about riding a witch's broom.

"Got them."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now, lower your hands slowly," the Mayor said carefully. He and some other citizens guardedly backed up.

Jack stepped closer. He hadn't any time to run inside to the roof when the rope snapped like a thread.

Now, he stayed close to the newcomer, watching her carefully.

It was not the best way to suddenly develop a Trick, but she was handling it fairly well.

But Anna didn't hear the Mayor in time and quickly dropped her hand.

Citizens shouted and ducked out of the way as the ropes whipped around, loudly snapping in the air, and came right at Anna like striking vipers.

Anna shouted, but before she could duck Jack reached forward and grabbed both her wrists and held them out in front of her.

The ropes stopped in the air.

Jack froze realizing what he did and Anna felt his fingers tense.

There was a beat, then the unexpected happened.

There was a spark and the rope burst into bright purple flames, bobbing in the air like fiery seaweed floating in the ocean.

Citizens gasped in surprise and awe at the fire reflected purple in their eyes.

"Breathe. Don't think about it," Jack said still holding her wrists. He was purposely ignoring the fire for the moment even as Anna started to freak out even more at the violet blaze. Jack just calmly locked black empty sockets with her.

"Think about what?" Anna whispered, terrified out of her mind, her hair falling into her face.

"Drop them. _Now_."

Without thinking about how she did it, Anna let go of the ropes, and they landed on the ground with solid thuds, the fire going out at the same time.

Jack let go, and Anna immediately bent down and put her hands on her knees.

"Was that me?! Never mind, I know it was me. What the hell?" she said shakily, and a little hysterically.

"I'll admit," Helgamine said, "That last bit with the fire was completely unexpected."

"Side effect of me taking her hands most likely," Jack said, keeping his voice even.

"It was purple, not orange…" someone mentioned, unsure about what they saw.

Jack glanced down at Anna, who decided to lay down on the cold gray dusty cobblestone the middle of town, completely ignoring everyone.

"Helgamine. Zeldabourne. Make sure she gets some rest. Please."

"You're not going to…?" Zeldabourne stopped at Jack's angry expression. What was he angry at?!

"What about these three?" Helgamine jerked a thumb toward Lock, Shock, and Barrel who were trying to sneak away.

Jack sighed and waved them off when they froze and stared at him wide-eyed, "I think they know better than to climb on the roof again. Run along you three."

Anna heard the sounds of three pairs of feet running away and stared at her hands as she listened to comments as the monsters dispersed.

"I would have let them drop. Serves them right."

"Would have taught the brats a lesson…"

"Great. Another telekinetic."

"Don't sound sarcastic. That's a good thing."

"I heard she's a mimic too."

"That's an odd combination of Tricks."

"Is she…pyrokinetic, too? But…that doesn't…She shouldn't…"

"Why did the ropes catch on fire when Jack touched her?"

"Maybe it was his fire and they accidentally combined magic?"

"But why was it purple?"

Anna fell asleep in the middle of the road.


	18. Chapter 18: Time Catches Up

Chapter 18

Time Catches Up

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It was another dream

Anna knew it, but all she could think about was that it was the first dream she had had since waking up in Halloween town.

This one wasn't as surreal as the one with the mirror at least. Or maybe it was more surreal, and it just hadn't occurred to her yet.

She hit the dirt. It felt so real. The damp earth was cold and dug under her fingernails. Tiny rocks scratched her. The smell of moss and dust after rain was thick but oddly sweet and calming. She could hear the air push through branches and taste blood in her mouth from landing so hard.

Do you ever feel like you're falling while in bed, and then suddenly you wake up? It was like that, except Annalise didn't wake up in Halloween Town.

She was in a forest. It was cold. The brisk air twisted around her and leaves followed. Anna thought about the Wind. The witches had told her about the element that was an honorary member of the town and she had heard it sing during the town song. It was strange to think of a natural force of the world as a person. She hadn't spoken to it yet, though she wanted to. What do you even say to the wind?

"Ow," she muttered, standing up to look around. She brushed the dirt off her.

Everything had a strange fuzzy look around it, like sfumato. Sfumato was a method used by Renaissance painters to blend sharp outlines in their paintings to show atmosphere and give a soft look. The world looked a little like that to Anna.

Was she supposed to do something?

She shouted and almost fell to the ground again as someone ran past her, not seeing her.

She stared at them. Was that…

"Jack?" she murmured. She scrambled to her feet and stood. She took a step. Then another. Soon she chased after the figure.

The faint sound of water got louder as she followed, the cold air biting her skin.

She almost tripped on a branch at that thought.

 _Skin?!_

She looked down and bit back a scream.

There was flesh on her fingers. If you could call it that. Red burns and flaking skin covered her arms, and there were a good number of blisters on her body. It really didn't look too bad, but it was painful. Never mind, it looked pretty bad.

She had to stop running as the pain caught up to her. She leaned against a tree and winced as she checked her bare feet, fighting back the tears.

For such a calm looking dream, it felt rather hellish, pardon the language.

Her feet were red and blistering. Dirt was getting in the wounds. A few tears escaped her eyes at the pain, but the salt only made the sores on her face sting. The longer she stood, the more she became aware of her injuries. Where did she even get these burns? Did she forget to put dream-sunscreen on or something?!

Anna trembled. She couldn't even hug herself because it hurt too much to touch the burns.

"Make it stop." She whispered. She wasn't sure who she pleaded to.

 _Keep going._

Anna looked up at the voice. It sounded like a woman's voice. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it. It had an airy quality to it, but it wasn't the wind. The wind sounded neither male nor female, but this voice was more feminine.

 _Keep going._

Anna winced and did just that. She forced herself to take a step, then another, until she was following the path she saw Jack take. She couldn't run very fast, but it was progress.

The sound of running water was roaring by the time she stumbled out of the woods into a riverbank.

The spindly, thin form of Jack dressed in old earth-toned rags stood up from a log in shock as someone cried out and tripped into a bush, crying as the branches scratched tender skin.

"Who goeths there?" the skeleton glanced toward the tree line. If it was a human, he needed to get out of sight quickly.

There was whimpering, and he ignored his better judgment to investigate.

He found a young woman, human, supposedly, in lightly burnt rags covered in rashes and blisters. Her garb was a little shocking and far too exotic. A white dress. He had never seen fabric so white. He didn't think such a brightness was possible to make. It was stained with a little blood on her neck and arms where the fabric was closest to her skin, and the bottom was brown with dirt.

Something else caught his socket. It was like the girl wasn't quite all there. And he didn't mean mentally, though that was also true. She was barely conscious. But she had a strange haze about her, like a mist that could blow away in an instant.

He frowned and the skeleton creature turned to walk away before she could regain consciousness.

"Help."

Jack froze, then sighed, kicking himself.

Anna's _everything_ hurt when she was finally aware of her surroundings again. Everything still stung, but she was being soothed by the water.

She opened her eyes in shock only to find herself soaked and sitting halfway in the cold river.

"Who art thou?"

Anna jumped and looked at Jack, who was sitting crossed legged about ten feet behind her on dry land. He looked a little fatigued and wet around his sleeves and ankles.

She frowned at him. "Who are _you_?"

Jack seemed moderately confused at her language and accent. "I'm nobody. And thou aren't afraid of me. That is intriguing. Where did thou receive such injuries?"

"A fire I think.

He wasn't speaking English, Anna somehow knew. Yet she could understand him like such, but the "translation" was weirdly off.

Jack flinched and his glare at the water hardened. "Art thou a spirit?"

"Like yourself? I don't know. I don't think I'm really here."

"Thou speaketh in riddles. Art thou a demon here to taunt me?"

"I don't think so…"

They were quiet for a long moment, the human girl sitting by a skeleton.

"Art thou the spirit that I saw many years ago upon the night of my death?"

"Maybe? Did I ask why you left your son?"

Jack was silent but nodded, his expression blank. "Thou appear different. But thou hath not aged."

Anna winced and cupped some water to splash on her face. "Did you expect me to have aged?"

"Given how it hath been twenty winters I would think so."

Anna spat out the water she had tried to drink. "Twenty years?"

"Aye. How dost thou not know this, spirit?"

"I don't think I should be expected to know everything about my dreams," Anna grumbled.

"Dreams?"

"I'm dreaming. You're a dream that I think I'm supposed to learn something from." The skeleton girl that wasn't a skeleton at the moment said it so matter of fact. Since it was a dream, she supposed it didn't matter what she said to the characters.

"I am no figment," Jack chuckled at her drily.

"I don't think you would know if you weren't."

"Then perhaps thou art the figment."

"I can't be the figment, I'm the one dreaming!"

Jack rolled his eyes at the strange girl.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

Jack stiffened. Apparently, she could tell without any eyeballs to see.

"Where did thou come from, maiden?" Jack asked, eyeing her curiously without looking directly at her. It was disconcerting because she still seemed able to tell he was looking at her.

"The future I guess," Anna said. She then frowned. "Did I pass out?"

"The _future?_ " Jack scoffed. "…Thou art' mad."

"…Probably," Anna murmured shyly. She rested her itching hands in the cold water. "Thank you for helping me." She was a wee bit worried about hypothermia, even in a dream, but the burns hurt so bad that the tradeoff was worth it.

Jack stared at her for a moment longer.

Anna looked up in surprise as Jack stood and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I do not wish to associate with Fae," Jack said shortly. "Not making that mistake again…" he muttered.

"I'm not a fairy," she said snappishly, scrambling to stand up. She started shivering immediately. Most of the burns weren't quite agonizing yet due to the numbness, but now she was soaking wet. She took a few steps to follow, and tears pricked at her eyes as the sharp rock cut her tender scorched feet. "I'm a skeleton like you."

Jack stopped, one skeletal foot poised over a branch he was planning to step over. " _What?"_

Anna winced and jogged to catch up, every step painful. Why did she never seem to have shoes when she needed them?!

Jack looked back over his shoulder to stare down at her.

Anna backed up, realizing how much taller he was compared to her. She hadn't noticed how short she was as a human.

"Why thou speak such obvious falsehood? Thou have skin. Flesh. Thy bones art not visible."

Anna shrugged. "This is a dream. I look different."

Jack made a strange expression that crossed between a disbelieving scoff, a frown, and patronizing smile, his skull morphing to accommodate his expression. He just turned and walked away.

Anna followed, ducking as a branch swung back.

They walk for a _long_ time without saying anything. Anna wasn't sure how long it was. Eventually, she couldn't take another step without wanting to cry. Branches brushed her, irritating the burns. She was cold and wet too, but the soothing of the river had long worn off.

She shivered, the damp burnt rags clinging to her, sticking to the wounds. It would rip any healing apart if she pulled the fabric away. "Can we stop for a bit?" she pleaded.

"Stop following me," Jack snapped.

Anna looked up. Jack had been ignoring her for a long time. "How long have we been walking?"

Jack pulled up short and looked at her in amazement. "We've been walking these wood for three days, maiden. I was hoping thou wouldst be left behind long ago."

"Three days?! It feels like ten minutes."

"Whatever thou art, thou art not human. We hath not slept. Nor ate. Nor drank."

"Oh. Where are we going?"

"I don't want thy presence here! Why dost thou insist on following me?"

"Because this is a dream, so I figure following you meant I will find out what this means."

Jack shook his skull and muttered at the insanity. "If you must know. I am traveling to my old village."

"Oh. How far away are we?"

"About a fortnight's walk."

"Two weeks?!"

"Aye."

"Uh…" Anna stuttered in the cold, "Okay."

"Thy wounds are worsening," Jack mentioned.

Anna glanced at her hands. It _had_ gotten worse. There were more blisters now, and her skin was discolored everywhere. On her left arm, a large burn had somehow gotten deeper and was brown around the edge.

She flinched. It still hurt. It was agony, but somehow, she was pushing through. She wasn't sure how such a thing was possible. She was slowly going from first-degree to second and third-degree burns. That's not the way it works!

They had continued to walk as she inspected her burns and she gasped and looked up when she ran into Jack's back, making the skeleton stumble.

She glanced around his body, the sight of a familiar little village making her gape.

"I thought you said we were two weeks away?"

"We were," Jack said as he steadied himself, his voice slightly raspy from being unused, "I stated that two weeks ago."

"What?" Anna looked around her, realizing that it was a different time of day and that the trees had changed since she last looked up.

"You've been following me the entire time."

"What?! Did we ever talk?"

"No."

"So we just _walked_ for two weeks straights without saying a single word to each other!"

"Aye. We did."

"Why?!"

"Apparently, we had nothing to say."

"B-but…" Anna was cut off as Jack left, walking down to the village. "Hey wait!" She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that two weeks somehow felt like less than a minute.

She followed close behind, nervous as they walked right by many villagers who didn't seem able to see them.

"Are we invisible?"

"I am," Jack said shortly, still suspicious of this strange girl who inexplicably followed him around. "But not completely. I've found that many of the living can see me out of the corner of their eyes, but are unable to see me straight on. But children are not so blind. I know not thou abilities."

Anna watched as they passed a butcher hanging meat outside.

The man suddenly jumped and turned toward them, looking around in fear. He chuckled and shook his head, going back to work.

This happened a few times with random adults. They seemed to see the skeleton and burnt girl for a second and jumped or gasped, but when they turned to look, it was like the spirits disappeared.

Jack stopped and ducked behind a house when a group of children, ages seven to twelve turned a corner and came into view.

Anna was caught off guard and stood in the open wondering what to do.

The kids saw her, and one screamed in fear and surprise.

Anna jumped and ran behind the same house Jack had.

The skeleton man glared at her for following him and went around the other side.

The children ran into the alley looking for the strange lady. Anna and Jack were cornered.

"Be silent," Jack whispered.

Anna nodded, wide-eyed.

"Miss? Are you here?" one little girl asked sheepishly.

"I think she went down this way!"

They ran right past the spirits, not seeing them.

"Yet when I _intend_ to hide," Jack explained, a skeletal hand moving Anna out of his way, "Then I am entirely unseen."

Anna nodded again and quietly followed Jack from the "alley" when the coast was clear.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked.

Jack didn't answer. He had grown accustomed to ignoring the strange woman-like creature that seemed to harmlessly just following him around. He really wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

They reached a house near the center of the village. Jack slowed as he and Anna approached.

There was a small crowd of half-a-dozen humans hanging around outside. They all seemed somber.

One woman, she looked about twenty was being comforted by several other women while a few men talked nearby, just outside the door.

Jack froze and almost ran to the house.

Anna felt her stomach drop at the scene. She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. These people were _grieving._

Jack almost ran into the window and quickly gripped the windowsill, peering in through the old rugged shutters, roof thatch falling down on him.

Anna witnessed his shoulder blades sink in relief. She went to peek around the men to look inside, careful not to touch them.

A young woman was lying on the bed. Two men were at her side, one older, one young. Anna assumed the younger man was her husband and the older one was the town healer. He was checking her eyes and stuff.

"Please sir," the young man murmured, "How is she?"

"Her fever broke, James," the older man said, "But I'm am concerned that this is the second time this harvest. Winter is coming, and I fear she will not be strong enough."

Anna watched intently. Was that really Jamie? Not her _brother_ James, of course, but Jack's son? As she looked closer, she could see the resemblance between the tall, lean muscled man and the little boy she remembered from the past dreams.

James held the young woman's hand and brought them to his lips for a kiss.

She was pale and barely conscious, but she opened her eyes to give her husband a small smile. Anna was surprised that she didn't look that much older than Anna herself.

James gave his wife a loving smile back.

Anna glanced to the side.

The men had moved, and now Jack was standing behind Anna, watching the scene with a heartbroken (so to speak) and concerned look.

"…What about the baby?" James whispered pleadingly. He was doing all he could to stifle the fear in his voice, but it still shook him.

The healer patted James on the shoulder. "The babe is well, for now, son. Time will tell."

James nodded as the healer left.

Anna had to duck out the doorway to avoid being run over.

She moved too fast and tripped over a rock, falling backward.

She woke up…

Anna gasped and sat up straight, hitting her head on the ceiling of her attic room again.

"Anna? You awake?" Helgamine called from downstairs.

"Yeah," Anna called back, wincing and rubbing the sore spot on her skull.

"Oh good. When you're ready, some of the town children wanted to see your new Trick sometime."

"Um," Anna said, then paused and raised her voice. "The ropes thing?" She didn't imagine that? It was so cool that she had freaky supernatural powers like that, but the concept felt so unreal. And apparently, those "Tricks" were enough to knock her out from exhaustion.

"Assuming ropes are all you can do, and the mimicry if you want."

Anna got up and opened the door, leaning out so that her voice could carry downstairs better. This was going too fast. "Shouldn't I practice more?"

"That's what I'm suggesting. Practice with an audience."

Anna could hear a few higher pitched voices begging with the witch, though she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"…Are the kids here now?" Anna asked.

"Coincidentally, yes. And no, we didn't plan when you would wake up. You've only been out about half an hour. I was just about to send them away when I heard you have another accident. Can they come up?"

"It's your house." Anna scowled a little at the idea of bumping her head being a common thing Helgamine listens for.

"Horrid. Up you go you imps!"

There was a cheer and giggles as a small crowd of monster children ran or flew up the stairs and filed into Anna's room, Anna stepping back to let them in.

"Afternoon, Ms. Anna!"

"Horrid to meet you, Ms. Anna."

"Your hair's really messy."

"Do you have fangs?"

"How many fingers do you have?!"

"That was soooo cooool what you did to Lock, Shock, and Barrel."

Anna leaned back outside again, "Helgamine, I literally just woke up and I just got these powers. Is it safe for me to practice with all these kids here?"

"No, but it's fine. Their parents can have a row with you if you give those little scamps a couple rope burns. Have fun!"

The kids giggled at that while Anna sputtered. A few had jumped onto Anna bed and the window seat, scaring both cats that Anna hadn't noticed were in the room. She felt like she should care about a bunch of strange, creepy looking children hanging out in her room, but she couldn't bring herself to be concerned with it. She just woke up. Maybe she wasn't thinking straight.

"Helgamine!"

The witch's head poked up the top of the stairs. "Just kidding. I'm coming up too." She chuckled at Anna frazzled expression as the girl realized what she agreed to and shifted the box of ribbons and ropes she was holding. She did a double take and paused, lowering her voice so that the children couldn't hear.

"Are you alright, Skellygirl?"

Anna leaned down a little, "Yeah. I just had a weird dream."

"If you need to rest we can…"

"I'm alright."

Helgamine stared at the skeleton for a long moment before she nodded and gestured for Anna to go ahead into her room.


	19. Chapter 19: Lackluster Reaction

**Okay, so I wrote this Monday. That's it. I got this and a whole one and a half other chapters done within that forty-eight hours between Saturday evening and Monday evening. My brain is fried, and I can't concentrate on school. I'm started to concern myself. If this is what being obsessed is, I'm a little scared. I am literally sacrificing all of my free time and more to this story, and it's very concerning. I think I've been possessed. Send help.**

 **Aria, you are freaking awesome. I loved every one of your reviews!**

 **PS. I COULDN'T DO IT! I usually wait four days between updates. But I couldn't take it this time. I had to post his or I would go crazy. Okay? Phew. Now I can focus on homework for a couple days since the next chapter is done too.**

* * *

Chapter 19

"Lackluster Reaction"

* * *

"Lock!"

Lock opened his eyes and groaned, "UGH! What do ya want, Shock!" He was taking a nap. What the heck could she _possibly_ need?

"Pour out my cauldron would ya?! I'm busy!" Shock's voice came from their closet/armory.

"What? Busy doing stupid girl stuff?" Lock prodded, annoyed that Shock told him to do anything. "It's your cauldron. You do it!"

"I'm cleaning the knives. You got blood all over them!"

"I'll do it later," Lock snapped, burying his face in the mildew smelling couch pillow.

"Nuh uh! I wanna. You dump out the cauldron."

"Since when do you want to clean?" Lock lifted his head and glared toward Shock's voice.

"Since we got a bunch of pretty new knives from the Mayor. Now shut up!"

"What do I get out of it?" Lock teased, swinging his short legs to the tree house floor.

"You can have the rest of Barrel's candy," Shock shouted.

Lock thought about it for a minute, "Eh. Sure. Whatever."

He walked past the closet, not bothering to check on the witch, and went into the kitchen.

Dead animals like rats and possums hung from hooks in the ceiling. They were starting to smell kind of bad. Good. Lock, Shock, and Barrel had been getting pretty hungry lately. It was hard to figure out what to eat without anyone to cook for them.

But it didn't matter with them being all alone. They figured it out when they needed to.

Lock's stomach growled for a moment. "Stop it," he muttered. He couldn't die from hunger, of course. But still. He eyed one of the dead rats, then shook his head.

Shock would kill him if he took something without sharing with the rest of them. And Barrel was out walking the bathtub. That thing didn't even need to be walked. But it made the kid happy, so whatever…

Sure, they might "hate" one another, but they stuck together, so that meant actually being nice to one another sometimes. They had to share basic stuff like food and prank ideas. Not the blame for pranks, of course. Barrel gets all of that.

Lock frowned when he glanced into Shock's witch cauldron. "Uh..hey Shock? You _sure_ you need me to dump this out. It's a lot."

"Well, _yeeeah,_ " Shock called back.

Lock frowned dubiously. There were several things you try to remember when being dead in Halloween. The number one rule was that Jack was the boss, mostly. The number two rule was that you _never_ mess with a witch's spell unless they tell you to do something very specific. Even then, it's best to avoid them.

"This isn't dinner is it?"

"No! Why do you think I need that thing dumped out?!" Shock sounded annoyed that Lock was taking so long.

Lock shrugged and grunted as he pushed the cauldron toward the drop-off.

One wall of the treehouse kitchen was completely missing, leaving the room open to the air and leaving them a nasty fall into the canyon. The wall was destroyed a while ago, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel hadn't had time to try fixing it. They didn't really know how anyway. Yeah, they built the treehouse, which is pretty impressive for a trio of kids, but Oogie Boogie had helped.

Well, he didn't help physically, but he told them what to get and yelled at them where to put everything and what to do. And he moved heavy stuff, so Lock figured he _did_ actually help a lot.

But it was so long ago that Lock really couldn't remember any of the construction stuff. If he did, he would've built a new wall a while ago. Then the cold wouldn't get in while they were trying to sleep.

They probably could ask the wind to not blow near them at night. Seriously? As if the wind would do anything for them. Everyone in town were jerks.

The cauldron was heavy by itself, though it was relatively small. Unfortunately, the liquid and gunk in it literally had it about a hundred pounds heavier.

"Gah, come on!" he growled, kicking the cast-iron pot when it refused to move anymore, then shouted expletives and hopped around on one foot. Lock snarled, his sharp teeth showing while his tail lashed in frustration.

He wasn't about to give up. If he made Shock do it, then she would just call him a wimp and use magic or something to move it in a second. No way was he going to admit it was too heavy.

Eventually, he got it to where he needed it at the edge of the floorboards a foot away from the chasm and got to work tipping it.

Sludge sloshed out, but he had to be careful not to tip the little cauldron into the chasm. Shock would literally bury him "alive" then.

"Come _on,"_ Lock groaned.

Finally, the cauldron was emptying at a steady rate, green gunk plopping in chunked down the abyss. Lock held it steady, feeling rather proud of himself.

That was until an enraged shriek echoed from the canyon below him.

Lock pulled the cauldron back in surprise as Shock flew up from inside the chasm on her broom.

Lock tried not the laugh at the sludge covered witch who was glaring vicious daggers at him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!" Shock screamed at him, "I was _working_ on that! And I was down there getting your stupid pitchfork you idiot! You RUINED IT and got it ALL OVER ME!"

"What's the big idea?!" Lock yelled back at her. "You told me to dump it out! And my pitchfork is under the couch, you dummy. I didn't tell you to go get it! I didn't drop it."

"Why you little…yes, you did!"

"NO, I DIDN'T you dingus!"

Shock jumped off her broom and throttled him, knocking them both down.

They somersaulted into the living room, screaming and trying to claw each other's eyes out.

"You messed up my spell! I was working all week on that!"

"Then you shouldn't tell people to dump it out!"

"I DIDN'T!"

"YES, YOU DID!"

"NO, I DIDN'T! Gack!" Shock stumbled back as Lock kicked her in the stomach.

"Yes, you did! You were cleaning the knives in the armory! And told me to dump the cauldron out!"

"No. I. DIDN'T! I haven't been in the armory all day you stupid excuse for a demon!"

"Uh, guys?" Barrel mumbled, having just walked in the treehouse to see his friends ripping into each other.

The bathtub backed up a bit then fled the scene and hid in its corner.

"SHUT UP!" they yelled at him.

"Okay…" Barrel said carefully, "Um…what happened?"

"LOCK sent me to get his stupid pitchfork he dropped in the canyon and dumped my spell all over me!"

"No, I didn't! My pitchfork is under the couch and Shock made me empty out her cauldron."

"You touched her cauldron?" Barrel mumbled dubiously with a troubled frown. "Lock…"

"She told me to!"

"No, I _didn't!"_ Shock said right before she bit Lock, making him let her out of a headlock with a shout.

Barrel edged away from the fight and headed toward his candy bag. He needed a snack to watch the show with. He picked it up and freaked out. "HEY! Which of you took my candy?!"

"Lock did it!"

"Nuh uh! Shock did it!"

"It's all gone…" Barrel gasped in horror, "You jerks!"

"I didn't do it!"

" _SOMEONE_ did!"

"Well, it wasn't me!" Shock's voice snapped.

They suddenly stopped, and the entire treehouse was quiet.

Shock's mouth hung open.

They all heard that, right? That wasn't Shock. Yeah, it was her voice, but the boys were watching her mouth, and it wasn't her who said that.

Their eyes shot toward the armory.

Shock let go of Lock and held her finger to her lips. She wiped sludge out of her eyes and shook her hat out.

The boys nodded and shifted around. They knew where all the creaky steps in their home were.

Locked reached under the couch for his pitchfork then gasped and looked underneath, groping in the darkness. "Where is it?"

"Shhh. Shut up!"

"You shut up! They took my pitchfork."

"Who would be dumb enough to mess with us?!" Shock hissed.

"Shhhh!" Barrel and Lock shushed Shock.

After another round of glares and shushing, they managed to sneak around until they were all right outside the armory door holding Shock's broom, Lock's baseball bat, and Barrel's plunger.

"On three," Lock whispered.

"One," said Shock.

"Two," added Barrel.

"THREE!" They all shouted together and charged into the room.

And immediately stepped on the tripwire and rung a bell. They should have known. Rookie mistake.

Ropes that crisscrossed the room whipped around them in a flurry until three small screaming cocoons were hanging from the ceiling rafters.

"OW!" Shock shouted and added a few colorful words as she knocked into Lock and Barrel. Her hat was lying on the ground while she hung upside down right above it.

"I can't move!" Barrel cried out.

"What the heck!" Lock snarled and tried wriggling. But that didn't work.

As the room stopped spinning, they noticed three objects against the wall behind the door they just burst through.

There was Barrel's candy (in one of their other Trick-or-Treat bags), Lock's pitchfork, and Shock's cauldron.

The pot was still full and untouched, the sludge sitting quietly.

They were silent for a moment, swinging in the backroom.

Shock licked the side of her mouth, tasting the mess that Lock had dumped on her.

"This…um…isn't my spell…"

"No DUH!"

"OW. Stop kicking me!" Barrel whined.

"Shut up!" Shock shrieked.

"Hey look." Lock titled his head toward a pair of new scissor sitting just within reach if they could find a way to swing for it. Taped to the scissors was a note.

"Ugh. I can't…what does it say, dingus?!" Shock snarled as she tried to twist around to see.

"Shut up! I'm concentrating! It's upside down!"

"It's not upside down! _You're_ upside down."

"I _know_!"

Lock squinted and tilted his head as much as he could as he struggled to make out the shaky handwriting.

"It says, Thaaaanks fooor the… scissors? Er. You three were a lot of…he..help two weeks ago... Trick or Treat….Love….Anna…"

The three kids stared at each other for a long moment.

In the kitchen, Anna snickered as she dumped out the rest of the fake potion from the small cauldron Helgamine let her borrow and booked it as she heard the three kids explode into screaming banshees in the next room. They shouted every bad word they could think of and added her name to as many curses as they could with their tiny lungs.

"Aw. Cute," Anna sang as she jogged back to town.

The Gatekeeper looked up as Anna came back through the front gate, a pleased grin on her skull. A small cauldron was held in her arms.

"Should I ask?"

"Plausible deniability," Anna chirped, wincing at a nasty headache that came from using her Tricks. It took a lot to build up to that. A week of practice, just to figure out how to make cocoons really fast. She had built up a little tolerance, but that was a lot of strain.

"For a skeleton, you certainly have guts."

Anna snickered.

"Did you…"

"Yes, I stayed away from the Hinterlands. Zelda told me so before I left."

The Gatekeeper nodded and closed the gate behind her. "Have a horrid day Anna. I would say not to do anything I wouldn't, but a suspect we're a little late for that."

Anna gave him an impish grin and waved goodbye.

When she got to the Witches' shop, Anna quickly greeted a few customers before ducking into the back.

Helgamine and Zeldabourne watched as the skeleton set the small potion cauldron down on the kitchen table.

"What did you use it for, dearie?" Helgamine asked.

"As a prop."

"What kind of prop?"

"Pranking Lock, Shock, and Barrel kind of prop."

Zeldabourne almost cut off her own thumb at that.

"What?!"

"I'm going to visit Sally for a bit. If those three come looking for me, tell them I'm upstairs, please. And don't go in my room."

The witches gaped at Anna for a long moment, too dumbstruck to speak until the skeleton was long gone.

"Well…" Zeldabourne said after a long silence, "It was nice knowing you, Helga."

"Young girls getting us killed is turning into an unfortunate pattern…"

Anna poked her head back through the curtain. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Just go, Anna. And be back before dinner."

"It's like six in the morning," Anna said dubiously.

"Then I'm sure you can keep yourself busy," Helgamine said. "If you made Boogie's Boys mad, I don't want you anywhere near the shop for a while. I'm half tempted to make you sleep outside tonight!"

Anna snickered. "Are you serious?"

"Possibly. Whatever the case, I'm putting wards on the house tonight so be home before eight or I actually am locking you out."

"Kay!" Anna said. "Love ya!"

The witches looked at each other in complete confusion.

"Love?"

A second later, the shop door opened and closed.

Anna did eventually visit Skellington Manor, after a…little detour.

She looked at the empty town square, eying windows and alleys.

She slowed. Eyes downcast. Gingerly, she glanced to the side and put out a hand.

Gently, a finger touched against the rim of the large scrying cauldron.

Yes. She knew it was against the rules.

Jack didn't want her aware of what the Real World was doing.

But…little peeks wouldn't hurt, right?

She stood there, considering.

She really needed to visit Sally for breakfast. That's where the witches expected her to be and if she wasn't there and they asked Sally about today, then she would be in so much trouble. Because she got caught that first time by a tattle-tale cat, they would know she was using the cauldron. The witches hadn't told Jack, but they did give her a warning. A silent warning, but a warning nonetheless.

She almost ignored the cauldron. But…it had been hard lately. As things slowed down and she had more time to think, she realized that she _really_ missed her family. Having officially done a successful prank didn't help much.

"Just…one look."

No one was in the square at the moment, and Anna was getting pretty good at guessing the best times for sneaking to the scrying cauldron. After a few close calls, she almost had the town's schedule down pat. It only took her two weeks.

"Show me…Dad." Anna glanced around nervously. The water rippled, and Anna huffed in relief. This was only the third successful attempt. She was getting the hang of it. The first time only showed Jillian and James' first hour back to school from the hospital, complete with some nice kids and some jerk kids. The temporary school was set up in the community center until the town could figure out how long it would take to build a new school. Or at least a new wing. Half the school was restorable.

The second successful attempt only gave her a few precious, yet very boring, minutes of Mark driving somewhere in his car. She had to stop the scry to avoid the Mayor catching her.

This time, she watched in anticipation as the picture focused on her father. She almost cheered in glee to see him again!

He was working. No surprise. It looked to be the middle of the day back home. Or the late morning. Time zones were wacky between this world and that.

Anna frowned and leaned on the cauldron's edge, her fingers gently brushing the water.

Harold Grisholme looked tired and a little ragged. That wasn't much of a surprise either, though it made Anna a little depressed.

The tired man sighed and put his hands on his forehead and elbows on his desk. After a moment, he reached for a bottle of pills on his desk and dry swallowed a few.

Anna knew what they were. Antidepressants.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy," she murmured. She wasn't expecting her family to get over her death easily. But she hated seeing them so sad.

"Show me Mom," she whispered after a few minutes. It hurt her to say it, but Dad wasn't doing much, and she didn't know how much time she could risk using.

The water rippled for a moment.

"Hi Mommy," Anna whispered, lightly touching the water. She hadn't seen Thida since the morning before she died.

She was so happy that the cauldron was working for her now. She kind of wanted to cry. It was a 50/50 chance to get anything to work for her.

It really took forever to get enough control of her powers to pull off that prank on Lock, Shock, and Barrel. And she still had horrible headaches.

"Thida, I need those reports by today," a man said, passing by Anna's mother's desk.

"Of course."

The man stopped and gave the woman a look. He turned and came back to sit on Mom's desk. "Thida, look I know these last couple of weeks have been hard, but I really need you to at least fake a smile. For the customers. For me? Can you do that? Please."

"Of course."

"Thida…"

"Greg. Thanks for the concern, but I'd like to get back to work please," her mom said tersely.

Anna stiffened as she watched Greg squeeze her mom's shoulder.

"I'm always here for you, Thida. Remember that."

Anna didn't like "Greg." She met him when his wife invited the Grisholmes to a barbecue about a year ago.

Barbecue…ironic.

Anna grimaced and shook her skull.

Greg had a crush on Anna's Mom. It was disturbingly obvious. Of course, Mom never requited and even told Harold and the family about the flirting.

Dad kept an eye on the guy and foiled a few so-called "business" dinners Greg set up by secretly inviting a few of his wife's other coworkers to join. Anna may or may not have assisted. Once they even invited Greg's own wife.

Greg found it hard to get close to a woman when her husband was suspiciously friendly, and her kids made it very clear they hated him. Especially the oldest with…a penchant for being a town trickster…

But that brat was gone now. And Thida…needed someone in this trying time.

Creep.

Anna managed to crack a smile as she watched her mom glare at Greg's back as he walked away.

"Spot the Greg" was sort of a family game and one of the few times when Anna's parents were more than okay with her pranks.

She didn't doubt her mom could handle him. Even grieving. Worst comes to worst, Dad could beat him up.

Anna frowned again, "Show me James."

James had been doing…fine, she thought. For the most part. He had been taking on a lot of responsibility. It was a little strange. He stopped talking to a lot of his friends and focused on his school work more. He was very protective of Jillian.

Anna had the bad, or good, timing to catch him in the cauldron confronting a couple of bullies at the community center after someone teased Jillian their first day back. Yeah, he ripped into them. It used to be that James was the one getting bullied. Now he wasn't taking anything from anyone.

Anna was broken out of her memories as a voice was heard.

"Yeah, I know," James said in the middle of a sentence.

Anna started. Oh. He was in the graveyard. Visiting _her_ apparently.

"Shouldn't you be in school, bucko?" Anna groaned.

"I just figured I should pay you a visit, sis," James said, unknowingly answering Anna's question. He was holding a little flower.

"Are you alone in the middle of town?" Anna asked in annoyance at the eleven-year-old.

James didn't answer this time. He stared at the daisy in his hand. Suddenly he gripped it in his hand and slapped it against the tombstone.

"I'm so sorry," he ground out. "Those jerks are getting away with it!"

"Who?" Anna muttered. She just wanted to take his arms, hug him, and tell him not to be upset. But she couldn't, of course.

"Those… _monsters…"_

Anna caught her breath on instinct before she shook her head at herself and almost facepalmed.

"They're going to get away with killing you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. Them and those stupid lawyers. Yesterday, th-they had the audacity…yay vocab words…to..to… _blame us_ for what happened! Jillian was just sitting there, crying. And that lawyer jerk looked her in the eye and asked her to consider taking responsibility instead of blaming a couple of boys for an 'unfortunate accident.' She was crying, Anna! I couldn't do anything…they were all 'let's not ruin' anymore lives because of a 'lapse in judgment.' Are you kidding me?!"

"James…"

James froze and squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly he turned around and buried his face into Mark's shirt.

Anna straighten. As the spell's vision moved to follow her brother, she finally saw that Mark and Jillian were there too.

Mark had been standing behind James, just out of view.

Jillian was sitting alone and quiet on a nearby bench, her head bowed and hair covering her face.

Anna wanted to cry. When she had last checked on them, she hadn't heard Jillian say a single word.

"It's not fair!" James sobbed.

"Yeah, I know..." Mark mumbled, hand on James' head, "But everything will get better okay? Those lawyers aren't convincing anyone. Those guys aren't getting away with it. I'll make sure they don't."

Mark looked up at Jillian. "You guys are late for school. You sure you don't want to say anything, Squirt?"

Jillian just shook her head and started walking ahead to the car, arms tucked.

"She won't say anything," James muttered.

"I know. Give her time. We all need it."

"Thanks for bringing us, Mark. I think Mom and Dad hate coming here. Dad said parents should never have to visit their kid's grave."

"Give him time. It's only been two weeks," Mark said, "You go on ahead. I want to say something."

James nodded and sniffed as he followed his twin.

"Show me Mark," Anna said quickly as the picture started to follow James. If she was lucky, she'd finally get a chance to see almost everyone. Anna was hoping to check on her friends, especially Sarah, but she had to be careful.

Mark stood still for a moment. He kicked at the dirt.

"I'm so sorry Anna."

"Yeah don't flatter yourself, Roman," Anna snorted, "This wasn't your fault." She wiped her eyes and joked. "It's good to see you." Her voice cracked. She couldn't describe how happy it made her to see Mark taking care of James and Jillian like a big brother.

"I promised that I would move Heaven and Earth for you…I didn't mean literally. That's not possible, right?"

"Of course not." Anna was a little confused and hoped he would say more.

Mark groaned. "Hard times really bring out the crazies, doesn't it?

Anna wasn't sure what he meant but couldn't help but listen anyway.

"I don't know what to do. It's insane."

"Good insane? Or bad insane."

Mark just stared at the ground. "I'm not that desperate, Charmer." he snapped under his breath.

Anna looked up. She heard footsteps.

Someone was coming.

"I know. Rick is just…"

Anna quickly splashed the water and turned off the scry, before she heard, and darted away before she could get caught.

She went down a side street to cut around toward Skellington Manor.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. A little sad with her family, but good.

One of the cats watched from a nearby roof in pity. Stupid girl.

* * *

Later that night the taller witch coughed to get Anna's attention. "Anna?"

Anna looked up at Helgamine, "Hmm?" She closed her hand, extinguishing the purple flames she was flicking around her fingers.

"What did we say about the fire?"

Anna put her hand down.

Helgamine paused. "I met with Jack today. You have another lesson tomorrow."

Zelda glanced up.

Anna looked down and poked at the food, her relatively good mood from the day ruined. "Oh."

"You'll do fine, dearie."

Anna just scowled. "I haven't figured out how to do that Fade again, you know. And it's been two weeks."

"You'll get it eventually."

"You're very optimistic for a dead person," Anna joked, giving both witches a small grin.

"Thank you. And you _are_ improving. You're splendid at your Tricks. I've seen you practice."

Anna shrugged. She sighed. "What am I learning tomorrow?"

"We're going to try the basic scare techniques again."

Anna was quiet, she leaned back in the chair they got for her, she crossed her arms and scowled at the table, "Because that worked so well last time."

"You're getting better."

Anna looked up again, her sockets disbelieving.

"None of these lessons are going very well. And you keep changing teachers on me. Is that normal?"

"Well…no…but…"

"Then what is normal?"

The witches shared a glance.

Helgamine sighed but didn't answer.

Anna frowned. She tapped her spoon against the bowl twice then gently set it down. She picked up the bowl and reached her long arm around Zeldabourne to put it in the sink.

"I'm going to bed."

"You can't be tired…"

" _Watch me_."

Zeldabourne glanced at Helgamine when Anna was gone, and they heard her door latch. "Why don't we tell her?"

"Because the Mayor asked me not to."

"What? When?"

"The day she got those rope abilities."

"I think you meant say Pumpkin Fire there," Zeldabourne scoffed.

Helgamine didn't say anything.

"Something is really wrong. Monsters are talking…We have _laws._ She needs _help,"_ Zelda stressed.

"Jack wouldn't be acting so strange if he didn't have a good reason."

"I agree. Don't think I don't. But bottom line, there's too many strange things happening."

Helgamine frowned at Zeldabourne, "Something tells me this isn't just a citizen temporarily gaining Pumpkin Fire or the King avoiding her."

Zeldabourne shook her head, "The pumpkins in the patch are wilting."

"...They always look wilted right after Halloween. The new ones haven't grown yet."

"This is different. Behemoth was _worried_. It was the older ones that have magic. The Jack O'Lanterns. He said the roots were rotting. Half of them closest to Spiral Hill are gone. And Glenn was hunting in the Hinterlands yesterday. Something was in there."

"There's always something in there."

"Would you listen?! I'm not just talking about _Nachtmahr_ and whatever unfortunate animals manage to fall through. Glenn smelt something _new_. He left pretty quickly."

"Did the Wind say anything?"

"That's another thing. It's been around, but the Wind hasn't spoken to anyone in weeks."

"Does Jack know about this?"

"Of course. Don't tell me you haven't noticed anything?"

Helgamine was quiet again.

"Helga!"

"Okay! I was down by the lake two days ago, and I thought I saw people on a boat. I figured it was Gal practicing a scare."

"People? Like…"

"Human. Human shaped. I haven't seen them since."

Zeldabourne froze. "By Halloween! Why aren't we reacting? I swear if someone doesn't call a Town Meeting soon…"

"Just help me with this ward. Whether it's pumpkin-rotting-Hinterland-boat-creatures or Boogie's Boys, nothing is getting in tonight."


	20. Chapter 20: The Way We Think

**Hi, Rose! Yes, I need more voices. Who would you like to try for? Also, do you have an account? It would be easier to talk over PM or email, but I don't like putting my fake-name dummy email account that I use for this purpose up in public where everyone can see.**

Chapter 20

The Way We Think

* * *

Anna hissed like a snake, unintentionally, as Helgamine wrapped Anna's damaged hand.

"Next time you decide to come running down the stairs, dear," the witch paused, staring creepily at the lanky creature, "Don't."

Anna nodded, "Sorry."

"It's not my hand you broke apart," the witch snapped.

Anna rolled her dark eyes, then winced as Helgamine pulled the pain herb packed bandage tight.

"All done. You sure you don't want to visit the doctor? I don't know enough about skeletons."

"I'll be okay, thank you."

Helgamine looked at her oddly before walking back to the counter.

Anna furrowed her brow, "What was that look for?"

"Nothing."

Anna waited for the response. She stood next to the little witch and leaned on the counter attentively, careful of her sore hand.

Helgamine sighed, "It's just a little odd thing. Citizens don't say thank you very often."

Anna looked confused. "Why not?"

"Well, it's just…I never noticed it before until you came along. You and your human habits."

"But I've heard you and the others say thank you before."

"I supposed we do. But not very often. Not for small things where we expect that thanks are a given. I rather feel like you're overusing the phrase."

"Sorry…I thought I was being polite," Anna looked bothered. "Um… what other human things do I do?"

"You wash your hands before you eat," Helgamine said, "That's rather funny actually. Your hands are never really filthy, and it's not like you will die from sickness. There are a few other strange habits you do. That word 'love,' for example. You throw it around a lot. And I heard you argued with Glen during your lesson about scaring older humans."

"I was just curious whether we should be concerned about scaring people to death," Anna defended. "No one else seemed bothered by that," she muttered, "I don't want to accidentally murder someone."

Helgamine frowned. She couldn't understand what Anna was worried about. They aren't entirely responsible for how people react to them.

"That's why you need to learn to control how much fear you cause," Helga said, reaching under the counter to pull out a large ledger that she used to record store transactions. Her claw-like fingers tapped it thoughtfully. "Anna. I'm not admonishing you for saying 'thank you.' I'm just pointing out that saying it so often is strange here in Halloween."

Anna leaned against a bookshelf and squinted at some of the titles. She needed to mention her eyes soon. It was really starting to bother her. She just didn't _feel_ like telling anyone, like an irrationally arrogant part of her mind was trying to convince her she didn't need to be able to see. Actually, she _could_ see, just not things up close. But she had found that her eyesight for things very far away was a lot better than any human could imagine. It was kind of cool how sharp it was. She was worried that getting glasses might mess up her far sight.

The skeleton raised a hand and a few pieces of twine the witches use to tie up package twisted around. One little piece nudged Helgamine's hand, and the witch slapped it away, already used to Anna's antics with her Tricks.

"Helgamine," she said after a few minutes, dropping the twine.

"Yes, Annalise?" Helgamine didn't stop her writing.

"Can you be…thankful?"

Helgamine looked a little confused, "I suppose I can. I'm not entirely sure I understand you."

"Okay, um…" Anna frowned. This was a little more complicated question than she thought. "For example, are you thankful you and Zelda live—excuse me— _haunt_ in this same house together?"

Helga wrote for a little before looking up at the skeleton in confusion. "I suppose. It just always seemed practical. I'm not sure I'm particularly _thankful_ , though."

Anna nodded, "What about joy?"

"Pardon?"

"What makes you the happiest?"

Helga cackled lightly, "Scaring, of course. There's nothing quite like it. The _rush_ of seeing a human's face pale in fear right before a scream. Wait til your first Halloween, dearie."

"Does…" Anna hesitated, " _Anything,_ not related to Halloween make you happy?"

"What an odd question. Not that I can think of, dearie. You?"

Anna slumped against the bookshelf. "Seeing my family would make me happy," she admitted.

Helgamine shifted slightly but nodded in forced understanding.

"The sun would be nice too. Wouldn't it make you happy to see the sun again?" Anna asked, a twinge of desperation leaking through.

Helgamine snickered. "Annalise, you could just go outside."

"I don't know what that is, but _that,"_ she gestured outside, "Is not the sun. The Real Sun. When was the last time you saw it?"

Helgamine shrugged. "The day I died, I suppose. Unless I stayed inside all day, of course." She grinned. "Or it was cloudy."

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it?"

Anna gawked, "How long have you been here?"

"Many years, dear."

"And in all that time, you've never seen the Sun?"

"Of course not," Helgamine rolled her eyes, "We can't stay till sunrise on Halloween. It changes, but usually, we leave at sundown, come back by the last sunrise. Sometimes, we leave at midnight. Sometimes we come _back_ at midnight. It all depends on the plans for each year."

Anna nodded.

It _really_ bothered her that she hadn't seen the sun since she died. She couldn't understand why Helgamine was completely ambivalent about it. Surely the witch missed the Sun at least _once_ in her afterlife _._

"What's with these questions, Anna?"

"I'm just trying to understand how monsters think," Anna said, her voice small, "I was thinking about Thanksgiving Day."

"What…" Helgamine trailed off, "Ah yes, the turkey people. Their Holiday is next, isn't it?"

Anna smiled at the description, "It's about being thankful for what you have."

"What's the point of that?"

"I bet they would ask 'what's the point of scaring people half to death?'"

Helgamine frowned. "Fear has its place in the world," she snapped defensively.

"I know," Anna said warily, "Just making a point."

Anna thought a while about her next question while Helgamine patiently worked and waited. "Helgamine…can…monsters love?"

Now that the witch knew what Anna was _really_ asking she answered. "I'll admit. Not as easily as humans can."

Anna looked startled that Helgamine had figured out what she meant when Anna herself wasn't sure how to phrase it. "How do you know?"

"I have a particular fondness for my sister," Helgamine said, "But often we have to consciously express that we care about each other. It does not come quickly, and many days it feels like I'm pretending to be civil. Like I'm wearing a mask. We're aren't nice, Annalise. But we aren't mean either. And we all know this."

Anna frowned, a little disturbed. The fear pricked at her. Maybe she was a lot disturbed. "So what are you doing when you take care of me?"

"I'm doing so because you need me to," Helgamine said, without looking up. "Does this scare you?"

"A little," Anna shifted uncomfortably, a chill running up her spine. "So, am I just a pet project? Do you actually care what happens to me?"

"I do. But if I didn't just say so, you wouldn't know either way. Do you know what a psychopath is, dear?"

"And a sociopath. But you don't seem very manipulative. And sociopaths and psychopath have big egos."

"Psychopaths are better at playing parts needed for social interaction."

"You're not a psychopath. You wouldn't admit to being one if you were."

"I didn't say I was. No one here really is. We monsters can feel empathy for others, but like I said, things of that nature: love, empathy, sympathy, they don't come easy unless it's about fears." Helgamine said. "But everyone in town has _some_ psychopathic traits."

The witch smirked. "Or sociopathic depending on who you're talking about. We balance each other out and keep one another in check. We do care about our fellow citizens. But we're creeps, dearest. _Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?_ We've been told we are very strange and that we can't tell one way or the other, most of the time."

The witch scowled as if she was thinking about whoever said that. "Keep that in mind. Now to answer your question; yes. Monsters can love."

Anna nodded. "It's just rare to _fall_ in love?" she guessed.

"Yes. Not improbable. But rare. Why? Did someone catch those lovely sockets of yours?" Helgamine snickered.

Anna rolled them at the witch. "No."

She almost cringed at the implication.

There was a candle on the counter, and Anna stared at it for a few minutes in frustration.

Weirdly enough, Helgamine and Zeldabourne didn't seem to like her lighting things on fire. Even little things like the candles in the kitchen, the regular ones that didn't have spells attached to them. The electricity went out the other day because the Doctor was doing some weird lightning experiment.

Anna tried lighting candles with that weird purple fire she had during that debacle with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. When it finally did light with a purple flame, Helgamine gently asked her to not do that. The witch put it out and relit it with her _own_ fire spell.

Anna asked what the difference was and Helgamine explained that Anna made the fire out of nothing and it wasn't actually burning the wick, while Helga's spelling was a real fire burning the real candle.

Then they straight out asked her not to use that ability.

They seemed to think it would fade away after a bit and just asked Anna to avoid it.

It was disappointing. She liked playing with it. It didn't scare her half to a second death like "real" fire did.

Helgamine noticed. "What are you doing, Skellygirl?" She frowned. "Are you trying to light that candle on fire."

Anna didn't answer.

The witch shook her head. "It's faded away, dear."

"Can Tricks do that?"

"That wasn't a Trick. Yours at least. You shouldn't have been able to make that fire."

Anna looked at Helgamine. "Why not?" Maybe Helgamine would actually tell her now.

"Jack must have accidently touched your spirit because that was _his_ Trick. Not yours. You saw him use it to light himself on fire during your Welcoming. It's orange usually, but I guess your soul must have made it purple. Only the Pumpkin King can use the Pumpkin Fire."

Anna stood up straight. "Then what the heck does it mean when I did it?!"

Helgamine glared at her. "Don't get a big head dearie. You're not his heir or anything like that."

"I didn't say I was…"

Helgamine continued, "Tricks can sometimes be transferred temporarily between monsters. But it's rare and there usually some kind of connection between the two. You two being the only skeletons in town probably was enough to cause it."

"Why tell me now?"

"Because it's faded. You're safe."

Anna looked so incredibly confused that Helgamine snorted at her expression.

"Don't worry about it for now. Come help me out."

"What do you need?" Anna crossed her arms and came closer, looking over Helgamine's shoulder. She filed the conversation away to mull over later.

"Read these out to me," the witch pointed a long finger at a page in the ledger, "I'm going to check to see if this is right." Helgamine pushed the ledger across the counter towards Anna and jumped off her stool.

Anna would have gulped if she could. She stared at the blurry page in frustration. She could make out a little if she tilted her head back and held the book away from her. But Helgamine would notice.

"What's the first one, dearie?" came the call from across the room.

Anna glanced around and caught sight of a magnifying glass on the shelf behind her.

"…um..Three jars of yarrow root."

* * *

" _In this town, don't we love it now…everyone's…um…everyone's…"_ Anna looked at the Gatekeeper for help.

It was another lesson. Technically, the Gatekeeper was supposed to be teaching Anna a _few_ Halloween Town laws. But he decided to leave that for another time, so long as she didn't rat them both out.

Mr. Hyde was the historian; he probably knew the laws better than the Gatekeeper did anyway.

" _Waiting for the next surprise_ ," he supplied.

Cue impromptu singing lesson.

Anna sucked at singing, which was hilarious in its own right. But that was just because she never actually tried before.

The skeleton girl sighed and nodded. She had been against the idea of singing in the open graveyard like a dork, but the Gatekeeper had convinced her it would be good practice if she wanted to improve her mimicry. Take care of her own voice, and the rest follows.

That was his hogwash reasoning that somehow made a lick of sense.

Of course, no one in Halloween particularly cared about whether someone had a pleasant singing voice, though it was a lovely occasion when someone did. As long as anyone put their soul into the song they were good.

Most of them sounded like frogs anyway.

And Anna did have a good voice, the Gatekeeper thought. It wouldn't add to her personal character of being a slender creepy skeleton if she wasn't made with a voice to match. That explained why her voice wasn't rasping. Or nasally like his own.

But she seemed very distracted.

" _Round that…"_

Anna picked up again, " _Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can."_ She stopped.

"Who hides in trash cans?" she asked.

"A hiding place is a hiding place," the Gatekeeper laughed, "And trash cans are excellent for surprise attacks."

"Okaaay," Anna smirked at his enthusiastic tone.

The bird glared at her, "Don't believe me?"

"Yes, I do," Anna grimaced, "It just sounds stinky. I'd get stuff all over my clothes."

The bird laughed at her expression. "It is a _trash can_ , Miss Anna. Come along."

Anna stood up as he hopped from his awkward looking crouch atop someone's gravestone.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked as she followed. She massaged her still sore, bandaged hand.

The Gatekeeper smiled at her, "To find a trash can, of course."

Anna snickered, " _Why?"_

"So, I can prove it's a good hiding place. Let's change this lesson one more time. Instead of singing, we'll go over hiding places." the Gatekeeper said. As they walked, he glanced up and down Anna's form.

Anna crossed her arms at the visual invasion of privacy. "What?" she snapped down at him rudely.

The Gatekeeper frowned. It was hard to demand respect from a child who's taller than ninety percent of the town. "Don't speak to me like that. And relax Ms. Anna. I was just considering something. About the trashcans—you probably wouldn't use them during Halloween."

Anna cringed apologetically for being caught acting disrespectfully. She knew he wasn't checking her out. "I wouldn't want to anyway. But please explain."

"Your style wouldn't work for it. You aren't a very ragged or messy looking monster like myself. And your right about messing up your costume. It would ruin your image."

Anna listened carefully. Of all the mentors she had so far, the Gatekeeper made the most sense. Everyone else seemed to miss the fact that because Anna was differently built than them, she couldn't do most of the things they wanted her to do and still pull it off well.

"So where _would_ some hiding places for me be?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted as they (by 'they,' Anna) ducked under the gate that he had left open.

Anna huffed in disappointment.

The Gatekeeper looked at her in pity. "Consider this, I can think of a few possible places that would be suitable for a form like yours, but where do _you_ say would be good places?"

Glen the Werewolf looked up from the other side of the fountain, and the two men nodded to each other.

"Dark corners?" Anna guessed, "Under a bed?"

"Avoid going under a bed unless you need to," the Gatekeeper said quickly.

"Oh right because of…" Anna tilted her head and tapped the side of her skull to remember, "The Monster under the Bed. That's wordy. Don't you have shorter names?"

"Some of us," the Gatekeeper said, tipping his hat as they passed Zeldabourne on her way to the market.

Anna and Zelda waved at each other but kept walking.

Anna and the Gatekeeper passed by the cauldron, and Anna forced her eyes to look away. She hadn't attempted to check in on the Real World for several days. First of all, the timing wouldn't work out.

The town goes through cycles, the least busy times being every week or so when Halloween Citizens actually need sleep. Even then, not everyone slept at the same time.

Second, that day, after she took a moment to think about it, the guilt hit her while she was having breakfast with Sally. Anna wouldn't look anymore. They trusted her not to use the cauldron, and she broke that trust. Three times, whether they knew it or not.

She didn't want to give up keeping an eye on her family, but she needed to find another way. Another way that wasn't "harmful" and that everyone would be okay with. Especially, Jack. Somehow…

God, she missed her family.

Anna stopped when she saw Sally. The skeleton almost called out to Sally, but she saw the ragdoll's expression.

Sally was speaking with Mr. Hyde on the steps of town hall. It seemed to be a pretty serious conversation, with Sally looking worried and confused.

Mr. Hyde was tightly gripping a book and sharply pointed to a page he was showing Sally.

Anna was about to keep walking when they saw her.

"Oh, Anna! May I have a minute?" Mr. Hyde called.

Anna forgot about the Gatekeeper for a moment and jogged toward the two monsters.

"What's up?"

Sally glanced up at the sky for a moment before realizing what Anna meant.

"Hello, Anna," Mr. Hyde said a little relieved. He closed the book, keeping a finger in between the pages he needed. "There's something we need to speak about."

"Anna!"

Anna looked back and gestured toward the Gatekeeper who was waiting at the entrance of a street. "Sorry! Just a moment, sir." She turned back. "Actually…can this wait? I'm in the middle of a lesson..."

"That's exactly what we need to speak about," Mr. Hyde stressed.

Sally looked at Anna apologetically. "I'm sorry Anna. Mr. Hyde and I weren't quite done speaking, and I didn't realize you and the Gatekeeper were busy. Will you come by the manor after class?"

Anna smiled, "Of course."

Sally returned the smile sheepishly. "Splendid. You should go. The Gatekeeper looks a little impatient."

Anna frowned, perplexed, but nodded and walked away, looking over her shoulder at them.

"B-but this is important!" Mr. Hyde sputtered.

"Would you mind finishing explaining it to me, please?" Sally asked sweetly. "I'm a little concerned that Jack would be ignoring this. Do you know why he would do such a thing?"

"That's what I thought you would know."

Anna _really_ wanted to know what they were talking about and why it concerned her. Was Jack in trouble? That didn't seem likely.

"What did they want you for?" the Gatekeeper grumbled.

"I don't know." Anna shrugged and followed him again. "They were talking about Mr. Skellington ignoring something."

The Gatekeeper looked a little worried.

"Is something wrong?"

The bird shook his head.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No. But I'm hoping this straightens some things out."

"If you're worried, then why is no one else complaining?"

"Trust."

Anna wasn't sure what to make of that vague answer.

"What are you talking about?"

But the Birdman just shook his head and refused to answer her questions.

Anna groaned.

He wouldn't tell her anything.

"Why do so many monsters go by titles instead of names?" she asked, making her own mind change subjects.

"I think because it's more telling of who we are as fear," the Gatekeeper said. "Names are fleeting. Stories last."

 _Stories…_

 _Do you know Jack's?_

"You have a name, right?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

" _Please_ don't go asking creatures their names, Miss Anna," the bird man said seriously. He stopped and gestured for Anna to walk ahead into the alley they came to.

Anna flinched and looked away embarrassed, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Miss," the Gatekeeper nodded, not nearly as perturbed by Anna question as Anna was. He suddenly stopped.

Anna pulled to a halt as she noticed him.

The Gatekeeper hummed for a moment then reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out an old book. "Here."

"What's this?" She looked up as the bird hummed a few lines of a song on instinct before he shook his head.

" _What's this?_ Er.. Ahem…It's a hint. Read this, and you'll find my name."

Anna took the book and nervously chuckled. She glanced at the book, unable to read the cover. "O-oh. Okay."

 _Please don't ask me to read it now._

The gatekeeper gestured at something down at the end of the alley. "See. It's a perfect hiding place for someone."

Anna looked. Yep. That was a trash can.

"Go look."

Anna glared at him, "Okay. You seriously can't believe I'd fall for that?"

"Fall for what?" the Gatekeeper said innocently.

Anna glared at him and laughed while the Birdman smiled at her mischievously.

Anna put her hands up and walked backward down the alley. "Oh look!" she shouted. "I'm walking down a dark alley! I _really hope_ no one jumps out of a trash can to scare me! Oh no, whatever would I do?"

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, young lady."

"Why, thank you," Anna bowed, her voice lilting. She was standing right next to the trashcan. Her fear was so chaotic that she knew she was probably going to get startled even knowing that someone was about to pop out at her. Still, she was putting all her effort into preparing not to react. She didn't want to give them that satisfaction.

She smirked at the birdman and put a long bony hand on the trash can lid handle. She sighed dramatically, "Maybe I should check inside this trash can to see if Gatekeeper's telling the truth."

She pulled off the lid and stiffened despite herself.

After a moment, she turned to look back at the Gatekeeper in confusion and glanced into the trash can.

It was dark, but she could still clearly see that no one was in there.

The Gatekeeper just smirked and shook his feathery head.

Anna frowned. "What are you…"

There was a cracking crash and a loud roaring growl.

Anna fantastically screamed like an undignified sissy and fell backward into the trash can as Glen broke out of the dummy coffin leaning against a wall next to the trashcan.

The Wolfman and Gatekeeper laughed at the flailing Skeleton, their voices harsh and grating and their laughs a strange combination of barking, growling, cackling, and cawing.

Anna's scream lasted a little longer than normal before it trailed off into hyperventilation. Then she collapsed into breathy giggles, still stuck in the trashcan.

The Gatekeeper hurried to the skeleton. "Are you crying?" he somewhat mocked.

Anna giggled and wiped away the tears that had sprung up. She picked an apple peel off her head. "I'm fine," she assured, "Dr. Finklestein said I haven't figured out how to properly feel fear yet. Help?"

The two men took an arm each and pulled her out.

They pulled too hard, forgetting how lightweight a fleshless creature could be, and Anna shouted as she flew out.

Glenn caught the girl and set her up upright.

Anna stumbled. "Good scare." She shook her injured hand a little.

"Thank you," Glen growled.

Anna remembered what Helgamine said about someone only thanking another when they really meant it.

The Gatekeeper was still laughing.

Glen chuckled at the expression Anna wore.

"Weren't you just…" she pointed out toward the opening of the alley.

The Gatekeeper laughed harder and clapped Glen on the back. "Excellent timing, my friend."

The Wolfman nodded, "I needed the practice."

Anna shook her skull and looked down at them. "That was the first time any of you purposely tried to scare me."

The men looked delighted to hear that.

"Was there a point to that?" Anna asked.

"You have to be scared _some_ time!" the Gatekeeper said gleefully as the Wolfman said goodbye and walked back to the square.

"But I'm scared all the time…"

"Hmm," the older monster hummed. "On purpose, then. You need to learn to recognize when someone else is nearby. Eventually, you'll be so used to everyone else's Tricks that it'll be difficult for us to scare one another. Enjoy the thrill while you can, Miss Anna."

"Easy for you to say," Anna said under her breath.

The Gatekeeper reached up to pat her arm. "Your lesson is done for the day. What did you learn?"

Anna had to think for a minute. "That…one method of scaring is to make someone think you're somewhere other than where you really are. I saw Mr. Werewolf in the square, and I didn't see him go ahead of us into the alley."

"Excellent. You're free to go. Remember to read that book. Say hello to Sally for me."

"Yes sir," Anna said as they went opposite directions. At least she actually learned something today without falling into an argument.

The Gatekeeper grinned. What a bright girl.

* * *

Anna was just about to knock on Jack's door when it swung open.

Jack stood there, mildly surprise that Anna was standing there, "…Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Skellington," Anna murmured, glancing down.

"Here to visit Sally?" Jack asked, looking behind her and shifting. He moved to the side to allow Anna in. "I was just about to leave, but Sally is in her room."

Anna stared at his outstretched hand that gestured inside.

"I had a dream a little while ago," she murmured, "It was very strange."

"A nightmare? Splendid," Jack said, though he stiffened slightly. He hid it.

Anna looked up at him and frowned with an odd expression. She whispered something under her breath. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

Jack almost started at that, but he mostly looked confused for a moment, then his sockets stared at Anna. "I didn't roll my eyes, Miss Anna. I wouldn't think a nightmare silly."

Anna watched his reaction for a moment. Then nodded. "My bad, sir."

Jack closed the door after she went inside and walked down his porch steps.

He shook his head at himself.

* * *

Sally looked up as Anna knocked on her open door.

"Oh, Anna! Hello!" the Ragdoll said, plastering on a cheerful smile.

Anna smiled at the woman, "Hi Sally. I like your room."

"Oh right. You haven't been here before. Come in!"

Anna came and suddenly froze.

"Is something wrong?" Sally asked in worry.

Anna spun around and stared at the doorframe.

"How many times have I visited, Ms. Sally?"

"I lost count. And it's just Sally."

"I just realized that I haven't had to duck my head walking through your doors."

Sally laughed at Anna's disproportionally satisfied grin. "I see. This is Jack's house after all."

"I guess," Anna giggled. Something caught her eye.

"What happened to your hand?" The ragdoll looked at the bandage tied around Anna's hand.

"I hit it on the wall while I was running down the stairs," Anna said, "It's fine. Helga helped me fix it. What's this?"

"Oh…that…" Sally said as Anna went to her desk.

Anna picked up the wooden music box and inspected it. "Does it work?"

"Well…no…I haven't had time to find what's wrong."

Anna sat down on Sally's chair and carefully turned the box around, completely oblivious to the worried look Sally wore. "Can I try?"

"Fixing it? Sure, but I believe some pieces are missing."

Anna nodded and opened the lid. "Wow. It's pretty." The skeleton frowned at the lone figure. "Usually, music boxes don't have little figures of men. Is there a piece missing?"

"It…broke… A girl was dancing with him," Sally murmured.

"Aw. He's alone. That's so sad," Anna said, missing Sally's cringe. She closed the box and turned it over to get to the bottom casing.

"I think so too…" said Sally.

Anna hummed as she pulled off the bottom and peered at the gears and music scroll that held the notes. She tapped the little metal prongs that made the sounds. She saw something and reached her long fingers down in the contraption to pull out a loose pin that had been rattling around. She looked up at Sally who had come to stand next to her.

"None of the pieces are missing. This one just needs to go…right…" Anna concentrated for a moment. "There!" She looked at Sally with a smile that dropped as soon as it came when she saw Sally's distracted look. "Sally? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Can it play now?"

"Sorry. You still need a turnkey to wind it up. But I bet we can find something. Seriously, what's wrong?"

Sally sat on her bed and sighed. "Anna, do you believe in visions?"

Anna started a little. "Maybe a little," she admitted.

"I just thought the concept may be strange to you. The Doctor told me humans don't usually have magic and their connection to the spirit of any world is frail," Sally said kindly.

Anna nodded understandingly, "Well, I died and ended up in an insane asylum, so my idea of what's normal has been pretty spectacularly shattered." She looked at Sally in confusion as the ragdoll flinched at the word "shattered."

Sally sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but the day you arrived I think I had a vision about you."

She pointed at the music box and told Anna about what happened with the dancing figures.

Anna was quiet and stared at her hands as Sally finished explaining.

She took it surprisingly well.

"Anna?"

"Thank you…for telling me…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Anna," Sally quickly came over and gave Anna a hug.

The skeleton stiffened and chuckled awkwardly before hugging back. "It's fine, Sally."

She opened her mouth to say something but clicked her teeth shut.

Sally held her back, "Is there something you want to say?"

The skeleton girl hesitated, so Sally sat back on her bed and patted the seat next to her.

Anna came to sit next to Sally, and the ragdoll put a single arm around the girl's slight frame.

"Oh…well…"

"I'm sorry Anna. If I had known…"

"You couldn't have done anything," Anna said stiffly.

Sally shut her mouth and looked down in guilt.

Anna brought her knee up to her sternum and balanced on the edge of the creaky bed. "No, Sally. It isn't your fault! You couldn't have done anything. I was already dead by the time you had your vision."

Sally whispered, "How do you know?"

"You said that the bells started tolling when your dream ended?"

The ragdoll nodded gently.

"But I don't think those bells were signaling my arrival exactly. I think they're supposed to let everyone know I'm ready enough to meet you. Because I remember sitting in the graveyard for a long time. I didn't want to do anything. I just leaned on my tombstone, feeling blank and like I was half asleep. I was sitting there alone for at least an hour, then I heard the bells ringing and that kind of woke me up. If I heard my own bells, then your vision had to happen after I was already here and dead, or it happened while I was dying. Either way, you couldn't have helped me."

Sally nodded. She then looked down at her hands. She opened her mouth to say something.

"What were you and Mr. Hyde talking about?" Anna asked curiously.

Sally shook her head. "Nothing. Has it gotten any better with Jack?"

Anna shrugged. "I just… is it weird that I want Jack's attention? I've never acted like this before. _Clingy._ " She grimaced at the word, disgusted at herself.

"No. Everyone wants Jack's attention at some time or another," Sally hid the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Anna hugged herself. "Why does he hate me then?" Anna whispered. "There something everyone isn't telling me, and I don't know what it is."

Sally sighed, "I don't know." Her countenance took on a stern look. "But I know he couldn't _hate_ you. Something is going on, and I intend to find out. Would you mind just being patient for me?"

Anna nodded.

* * *

Jack was gone longer than he intended. It was evening by the time he got home.

"I hope Sally isn't cross about me missing dinner," he said to Zero.

The little ghost dog yipped and flew around Jack's head for a moment.

Jack chuckled and pet his dog on the head. "No, not tonight Zero."

Zero whined and nudged his master's hand.

"It's been a long day," Jack admonished, with a chuckle. "Must we play _now?_ I'm already late."

Zero barked and gave Jack a childish look that meant something along the lines of "then a couple more minutes won't matter."

Jack groaned, "Just this once." The skeleton reached into his coat and under his shirt to crack off a rib. "It least it will keep you from bothering Annalise."

Zero nodded enthusiastically.

"Here boy! Fetch!" Jack called and hurled the bone as far as he could over a few rooftops. He wasn't too worried about losing it.

Zero could always find what he was looking for.

The happy dog was back a few minutes later. He deposited the rib into Jack's hand.

The skeleton king had been sitting on his porch quietly waiting for his dog.

"Ah. Good job, Zero!" Jack praised, reattaching the rib as he stood up, "Come on. Inside, boy."

Zero phased through the door before Jack could open it to let himself in.

Jack paused as he heard voices from the kitchen and slinked silently along the wall.

What was Anna still doing here?

Zero took that moment to fly past him into the kitchen to greet Sally and Anna, blowing their cover.

Jack followed him, "Evening, ladies."

"Hello, Jack," Sally greeted.

Anna folded her hands in her lap and wouldn't meet his sockets. She was sitting in one of the chairs with a cup of tea on the table in front of her.

Sally frowned at Jack's lack of response to the skeleton girl being there and came to stand behind Anna.

"Dinner is going to be a little late today. We were talking so long that it was dark by the time I remembered," the doll lady said. She put her hands on a sitting Anna's shoulders, "Anna is staying for dinner."

Anna jumped and looked up in surprise. "Oh no. That's okay…th-the witches are…"

"Sally…" Jack started. "I'm sure Helgamine and Zeldabourne are…"

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind, and I'll explain for her if it comes to that," Sally assured. "Would you mind stirring the soup for me, Anna? May I speak with you a moment, Jack?"

Anna agreed and stood up, making her way to the nearby stove.

Jack nodded and cautiously followed his lady-friend to the hallway.

Anna tried to ignore their hushed arguing since she couldn't pick any words out. She kept her eyes down and focused on the pot.

"I'm just saying…"

"She's _staying_ for dinner, Jack."

That was the only two phrases Anna caught.

They came into the kitchen a moment later, silent.

Jack sighed. "Anna…would you like to join us for dinner?" He gave Sally a look.

Sally nodded, pleased, with a small smile on her face.

Anna looked at them for a moment. She nodded.

The younger skeleton spoke up as Jack pulled three bowls from the cabinet. "I think it's done," she said.

"Good," Sally said.

Dinner was quiet, but the conversation was managed, even if a little awkward.

Anna told them about the Gatekeeper teaming up with the Werewolf to scare her and Sally described what she did for Halloween work that day.

Jack was oddly quiet but nodded to the stories.

Anna didn't realize she was dozing off at the table as Sally spoke.

"We finished those new decoration designs today, Jack," Sally chirped.

"Oh? You're a week ahead. Excellent!" Jack said.

"We still need to get supplies organized for them," Sally admitted, "Maybe Anna could help us. She doesn't have an assignment. What do you think, Anna?"

Sally and Jack looked at Anna when the girl didn't answer.

Jack chuckled at the skeleton leaning her head on her propped-up elbow, sockets closed. "Are you sure you didn't slip any deadly nightshade in the soup, my dearest friend?"

Sally quickly pulled Anna's bowl out from under her, in case the skeleton dropped her head. She glared at Jack. "Of course not. She must be exhausted."

"I thought everyone was done sleeping for the week," Jack mentioned, collecting the bowls.

"Apparently, someone didn't tell her that," Sally snickered. The ragdoll carefully positioned the sleeping skeleton girl so that her head was resting in her arms on the table in a more comfortable position.

Jack frowned. "Is she staying the night then?"

"Don't you dare wake her up." Sally pointed a finger a Jack warningly, as she lightly brushed some of Anna's unevenly cropped hair out of her face. She frowned, making a mental note to offer to trim the burnt sections.

Jack put the hand that wasn't holding the bowls up placatingly.

Sally and Jack worked to clean the kitchen, Jack being the one who washed the dishes. He rarely let Sally do the dishes unless she wore gloves because it took forever for her fabric skin to dry.

"I'll be in my study," Jack muttered and planted a light kiss on Sally's cheek as she put the dried dishes up.

"Jack?" Sally said.

Jack stopped and leaned back into the doorway. "Yeeess?"

Sally hesitated. "I need to speak to you about something later. I'll let you work for the night though."

Jack tilted his head. "Alright. Thank you, my love."

Sally giggled as he left.

Meanwhile, Anna in the dining room mumbled in her sleep as she dreamed.


	21. Chapter 21: Snap

**Happy Easter Everyone! Every Holiday get a double update! And yes, this chapter is a little emotional, but we'll get through it. Also, I glean details like those weird skeleton traits from the video games. Enjoy! Don't forget to review, especially on this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 20

Snap

* * *

She was standing this time. There was no falling.

Where's Jack, or the weird dream version of him?

First of all, where was _she?_

She was in the village again, but it was nighttime.

"You."

Anna jumped and looked behind her.

"Oh. How long has it been _now_ Jack?"

Jack glared at her. "A day…" Suddenly his eyes widened as he noticed something. "Your injuries..."

Whatever shock she was in from waking in a dream suddenly wore off all at once, and she yelled, struggling to stand.

Jack took her arm and guided her to sit on a bench outside the nearest house.

Anna sucked in a shuddering breath and dared to look at her hands. Her left hand was blackened and burnt down to the bone, and her loose fingers had lost all feeling. She couldn't imagine what her face looked like. She forced herself to try touching her mouth, but her right fingers felt wet bone. The left cheek was burned away exposing her jaw and teeth.

"What happened to thou? How are thou still…" Jack stopped talking as she screamed when touching her face caused severe pain.

The girl was in no condition to respond.

He didn't know what to do.

They sat there for a little until Anna somehow became a little used to the pain.

She whimpered. "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

"I am not doing this to you."

Anna cried, clutching her arm to herself.

"This dream sucks."

Jack looked confused, "What doth 'sucking' have to do with anything?"

"It's…um…slang from where I'm from," Anna ground out.

"Why are you here, spirit? Following me seems to be causing you pain," Jack said changing the subject.

The decaying, burnt girl cried, "I don't know….Please. Make it stop."

"I am sorry. But I doth not know how I can abate thy pain."

The sound of human voices pulled Jack's attention away from the strange girl who appeared and disappeared around him at odd times.

"She's getting worse," James said sadly, walking out of his house with a friend, a shorter man with lighter hair. "I don't know what to do."

Jack quickly picked up the girl from the bench, holding her bridal style and ignoring her cries as he got himself and her off the bench before the two men sat down.

"It will be okay James. Trust the gods."

"I don't worship the same gods as you, my friend," James snapped.

"Maybe you should. Look what misfortune thy family has suffered," the other man said tersely.

"I will honor my mother and father. They believed in a god that had mercy. At least Mother did."

"You can barely remember her."

"Still."

"And you thought your father was a Lichbourne."

James glared at his friend. "That was long ago. I twas but a child."

The other man sighed at looked up at the sky.

"You are praying, but perhaps you need to consider other paths. She is very sick, my friend," he stood up to leave, "The fields call. Harvest time is coming to an end. Stay here with your wife and the women if you wish. The others and I can handle your part for the time being."

"Thank you, Ykren," James said gratefully.

Anna couldn't focus on them, her eyes were hurting, but she did catch a glimpse of James going back inside as the other man left.

"Put me down, please," she whispered.

Jack obliged and set her carefully down on the bench.

Anna clenched her teeth. The pain had settled somewhat. "What's happening?"

"My daughter-in-law is very ill," Jack said sitting next to the girl. "And my son fears that she and their child will not survive."

"Do you know what she's sick with?"

Jack looked at her a little confused.

"There are lots of different kinds of diseases," Anna said. She frowned and winced at the pulled blistering skin on her face. She probably looked terrifying. "But I guess you wouldn't know much about that."

Jack sat thoughtfully, a little insulted at Anna's perception.

"Don't you want to go inside?" Anna asked.

Jack chuckled. "Apparently, some of the rules of Fae apply to me. I can't enter a house unless invited."

Anna frowned. "That doesn't sound right. Then how do you sneak into houses to scare people on Halloween?" she mumbled.

"What?" Jack didn't catch all Anna's words.

Anna stood up. "I'm going inside."

Jack watched her, surprised that she could stand. "I doubt thou art immune to such rules either."

Anna frowned. She forced herself to walk a few feet and stood in front of the door. Looking into the spacious one-room house, she could see James speaking in low voices to his wife as two women were busy making some food.

James sat on his chair, whittling something distractedly as he spoke about his day.

She couldn't get in.

It wasn't like a wall stopped her, more like her feet were stuck in place and her muscles couldn't push her past the threshold.

"See?" Jack sighed.

Anna ignored him because of something catching her eye. She couldn't explain it, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from what James was doing.

"Are you done playing with that turnip, James?" one of the women said. "We have a meal to finish."

"I think I'll keep this one if that's alright," James said. Standing up, he walked over to the windowsill and set the turnip down, it's little, carved face looking out. "There. That will keep the evil spirits out."

His wife laughed weakly from her bed. "Oh, James. You've got all the village children doing that."

"I see no harm in it, Mira. My father was always telling me that they'll keep watch and ward away demons."

"Ah yes," she laughed, "But will it let the good spirits in? We could use a little fortune."

"I think so."

Anna frowned. "I wonder…" she mumbled.

Taking a moment, she stepped into the room. She froze, half expecting to be electrocuted or something.

"Huh." She laughed.

"How did you…" Jack said before Anna took his bony hand and pulled him inside.

"I think the Jack O' Lantern let you in this once," Anna snipped playfully, forcing a cheerful smile. A draft licked her wounds, and she hissed.

"Jack O'Lantern…" Jack said, with a perplexed chuckle. How did she know what he used to call himself when he made the lanterns for Jamie?

James looked up in confusion. "Jack O'Lantern…" he whispered.

The young man shook his head.

Anna looked at him, a little disturbed that he heard them. Well, he sort of heard them. "Did you keep yours?" she asked Jack as they moved out of the way.

She _limped_ out of the way, and Jack had to catch her good arm to prevent her falling over.

"What?"

"The lantern you lit with that ember Satan threw at you."

Jack stared at her in shock. "I keep it near me. I hide it. How did thou possibly…"

Anna gasped as a headache struck her and she went to her knees, her tears burning her wounds again.

Jack took her bloody arm and guided her to sit against a wall. "Be still, you art…"

The skeleton suddenly straighten and stared out the door.

Anna winced and forced herself to lean out to look at what Jack was staring at.

The forest's tree line was visible from the house. At the top of a tall hill where the fields met the woods stood a man. He was far away, but Anna could tell he was staring straight at Jack.

The man didn't seem to notice Anna and only locked eyes with the skeleton.

She immediately didn't like that man. There was a horrible nasty feeling in Anna's gut as she looked at him. She could sense the danger.

Anna had gotten into the habit of thinking of her newly acquired fear like another person, but this time, she was completely in synch with it, and she felt horrible. She still hated feeling fear, but she couldn't find herself able to argue with it this time.

"Stay here," Jack warned.

"Wait. W-who is that man? Why can he see you?"

"That's a demon. _Stay here._ You should be safe."

"Wait! Don't lea…" she cried out as another headache hit her and she closed her eye that she could still see with.

And she woke up.

"Ah!" she said sitting straight up with a sharp gasp.

She winced and glanced at her hands after she let go of her grip on the table cloth.

They were bone and not half-bone/half-burnt human flesh. She was a weird disproportioned skeleton creature again.

She groaned and set her head on the table.

"What the heck just happened?" she moaned.

Wait. Why was she asleep on a table?

Oh, right….

Oh, God. Did she seriously fall asleep during dinner with Jack and Sally? What the heck?

She looked at the twisting and slanted architecture and groaned in awkwardness. She had fallen asleep at Skellington Manor, and if the windows were telling the truth, it was morning.

Anna stood up. She had better leave. She should probably leave a note so that Sally wouldn't be worried.

Anna went toward the kitchen to look for pen and paper but froze. She thought she heard her name and looked up at the ceiling as she caught the sound of voices upstairs.

A note would do, but she'd rather apologize for falling asleep in their house in person.

* * *

"Jack?" Sally asked when she poked her head up into the Pumpkin King's study. There was no response. "Jack? I brought you something."

Jack didn't seem to hear Sally behind him as he continued to write furiously at his desk. He mumbled to himself as his pen made little scritch-a-scratch noises on his paper while the feathered end jerked violently in the air.

Sally sighed and almost turned to go back downstairs when she remembered both her reasons for invading Jack's private study. "Jack!" she said, louder this time.

That seemed to do the trick. Jack suddenly jumped and sat ramrod straight. In his surprise, he knocked over his inkwell, spilling it over a section of his work. "S-sally!"

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Sally gasped as she ran forward with the napkins she had brought with Jack's breakfast. She didn't even take a moment to consider that she had just scared Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. She sat the plate down on a small table.

"No no!" Jack suddenly seemed panicked as he quickly grabbed Sally's hand before she could touch the napkin to the rapidly growing stain. "Let me see that," he said as he attempted to take the napkins from her. "What's one more stain on this old thing?" he joked, patting the desk.

Sally held the cloth away from his hand. "Absolutely not! I shouldn't have startled you. Let me fix my mess!" she insisted.

"Normally I wouldn't argue with that tone of voice, but I have to disagree at the moment. Please give me the napkins," Jack said forcefully, surprising Sally at the tone. He deftly took what he needed while she was stunned and proceeded to mop up the spill, moving papers out of the way as needed. As he worked, the ink bled through the cloth and stained his snow white bones at the fingertips.

He grinned at the puzzled look on Sally's face. "The ink would stain your skin permanently. We can't have that now," he explained.

Sally nodded at his reasoning. If the black bled into her fingers, she might be able to get some of it out, but the stain would likely never completely leave. She had to be very careful when she wrote anything. "I'm sorry Jack. I didn't mean to make you ruin your work." She carefully lifted up one of the papers and read the first line, "'Lightning/Electricity can heal you and isn't too painful.' What's this, Jack?"

"Oh that's…well," Jack walked over to his waste basket and threw a few of the ruined papers away but kept the stained cloth. It was still usable after all. "They're for Anna," he explained.

"Anna?" Sally queried, then read a few more lines aloud, "'You can completely disassemble your bones, then reconstruct yourself telepathically. It will take practice. If you stood in very strong acid for a while, you would melt into a rubbery liquid substance while maintaining your consciousness and ability to move around. However, I would strongly advise against attempting this as it is slightly painful, leaves little hope of your clothing surviving (depending on if you're wearing your costume or not), and it is an incredibly difficult process to reverse.'" Sally looked up and stared questioningly at a sheepish Jack.

"I admit, that third one is quite odd," he said, "I thought a list of unique skeleton traits would be helpful to Anna."

"I actually came to talk to you about her. That and bring you breakfast." Sally looked at her gentleman with a pleading look. There were times when Jack went several days forgetting to eat.

Jack looked at the bat bone and cricket egg sandwich in appreciation. "Thank you, my dear. It looks terrible, and I promise I'll eat it. But what did you wish to discuss about our new arrival?" He offered her his rolling chair and sat on a rung of the ladder that was attached to his enormous bookshelf.

Sally hesitated. "I spoke with Mr. Hyde yesterday. From what I understand, when a new monster joins the town, they're given a mentor of the same kind of monster or similar to teach them about their abilities as a particular creature," Sally said as she nervously twisted her hands around.

"They also coach them while they develop their own unique scares and decide when the new monster is ready to journey to the Real World," Jack added. He dreaded where this conversation was going.

Sally nodded. "But Anna's been here for nearly three weeks, and you have yet to say anything about being her mentor. Is there some rule I don't know about that says the King can't be a mentor?" She reached out and took Jack's hands in her own. "Please tell me, Jack. Anna doesn't know this, but she knows something is wrong and that everyone isn't telling her something. I was talking with her last night, and I said I would get answers..."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and breathed. "You shouldn't have done that, my dear."

"Then explain to me why ever not."

Jack studied her face for a moment but saw no judgment there…yet. "No Sally. There isn't a rule that says I can't be a mentor. Not exactly. But I feel…no suspect that…ah see, there aren't any other skeletons in Halloween besides the Hangmen and well…they don't… that is…they're technically not skeletons and part of Hanging Tree…." Jack trailed off at the blank look Sally gave him. "I believe conversation may get rather awkward between Anna and me." Oh, how to explain!?

Sally frowned in such utter confusion and concern it was almost painful. "Should…I be….worried?"

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that," Jack said hurriedly as both he and Sally blanched and blushed respectively. Jack buried his skull in his hands and sighed. He knew what he was trying to say, but he wasn't quite sure how to say it.

Sally took one of his hands again and only sat quietly as she let him collect his thoughts.

Jack rubbed a thumb in circles on the side of his skull, the slight grating sound of bone on bone helping him to keep his thoughts moving. Honestly, he hated the sound. It annoyed him but seemed to work at the moment. Should he tell her?

Jack looked up straight into Sally's eyes and grinned slightly.

Sally watched as Jack let go of her hand and paced a little, a sad smile on his bony lips. He then began humming a tune she had heard before.

Jack sang.

" _There are few who deny it, at what I do I am the best…"_

" _For your talents are renown far and wide,"_ Sally added her voice to what Jack thought would be a solo.

The spindly King of Halloween started in surprise to hear Sally sing the words. Perhaps he was distracted at the time, but he was sure the only one's in the graveyard at the time were him and Zero.

But he continued anyway albeit with a questioning look toward Sally.

" _When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night…"_

" _You excel without ever even trying,"_ Sally sang.

Jack grinned. _"With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms_

 _I have seen grown men give out a shriek!"_

Sally laughed at the way he pronounced "charms."

" _With a wave of your hand and a well-placed moan, you have swept the very bravest off their feet!"_

" _Yet, year after year it's the same routine, with the people never ceasing at the praise of my screams. And I, JACK, the Pumpkin King, have grown so tired of the same old thing."_

Jack took a breath he didn't need.

 _Yet, as the years catch up to these bones_

 _Mistakes I've made, begin to show_

 _Dearest Sally, can you be so sure_

 _That I wouldn't make them again once more_

Sally nodded. She didn't know what mistakes Jack was talking about, but she understood that Jack was afraid of making the same ones again with Anna. Did he have an apprentice before perhaps?

 _But Jack, don't you see, what a chance this could be_

 _A student to pass on all your frights_

 _To a guy in Kentucky, you're Mister Unlucky_

 _And you're known throughout the darkest of nights._

 _Anna has things to know, not a Witch nor a Crow_

 _Could teach her everything she needs to learn_

 _So please will you tell, your reasons for this tale_

 _Dearest, please know you can always trust in me_

Jack couldn't meet her eyes.

 _But Sally…please, you couldn't understand…_

 _That the choices I made went hand in hand_

 _Would cause….such grief. You couldn't understand_

 _That Anna's better off without the guide of my hand._

 _Yet, as the years catch up to these bones_

 _Mistakes I've made, begin to show…_

 _Dearest Sally, can you be so sure._

 _That I…_

Sally took his hand.

 _You won't make the same mistakes once more._

Jack trailed off.

"Jack?" Sally came forward in worry.

"You couldn't understand," Jack pleaded. "Sally. _I know_. Trust me, _I know_ everyone's expecting me to take Anna in. But _I can't._ She would never…"

"She would never _what,_ Jack?" Sally said seriously. She glared a Jack sternly, "Please tell me, Jack."

"She would never…." Jack put his skull in his hands.

"What?" Sally was completely confused.

Zero suddenly barked at someone at the bottom of the stairs.

A second later the front door closed.

Sally straightened in shock that they were overheard as Jack mumbled something now that Anna was gone.

"She would never forgive me."

"Jack we have to…"

Jack stopped her by the arm and whispered something in Sally's ear.

The ragdoll pulled away and looked at him in shock. She covered her mouth with a gasp. "How…" her voice was quiet. "Y-you couldn't have..."

Jack went to the staircase and started walking down. "I'll explain later. But you mustn't tell anyone. Especially, Anna. Not yet."

Sally rushed to follow him, her face tight with worry and concern.

* * *

Anna ran away from the house a little dizzy at the news.

 _That's_ what everyone was refusing to tell her?! That Jack was supposed to _adopt_ her or something. What the heck? He was meant to be the one training her?

Why wasn't he?

"Annalise!"

"Leave me alone!" she snapped behind her at Sally's voice. Her shout drew the attention of everyone in the town square.

Helgamine and Zeldabourne stopped walking as they heard Anna.

"Anna! There you are," Helga chuckled and shifted her basket, "We were worried Boogie's Boys had…"

"Did you know?" Anna snarled at the witch as she slowed down.

Helgamine glanced behind the skeleton to see Sally and Jack running to catch up.

"Know what?"

That was the wrong answer as Anna's snarl deepened.

Zeldabourne backed up, but Helga stared right at Anna. "Did I know Jack is supposed to be your mentor? Of course, I knew. Everyone knows."

"Then why didn't you tell me?!"

"Anna," Jack said, "Please. Don't blame them."

"I'm not blaming them! Why are _you_ ignoring me like this _?!"_ Anna was clearly furious. She pointed at him accusingly and growled.

"I have…reasons," Jack said.

"Jack!" Sally hissed.

Citizens were looking on now. No one wanted to get involved, but all were interested.

"What reasons?" Anna growled, her voice taking on a weird echoey quality as she lost control of her voice and mimicry took over. They could hear Anna's voice overlayed with several other voices. It only lasted a moment. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Miss Anna," Jack said.

"This is _my_ fault," he stressed guiltily.

"No duh."

Jack shook his head. "Annalise, please. You can't understand, but I _can't_ mentor you."

"Can't or won't?!"

Jack stopped. He squeezed one eye shut then glanced at the crowd. "This isn't a conversation to have in public, Anna."

"Can't or won't?!" she shouted desperately.

"I won't!" Jack said sharply.

The square was quiet for a long moment. Monsters stopped everything they were doing.

Jack continued, even as Anna's expression fell. "I know you don't understand yet. But I won't train you. You…you wouldn't want me to."

"Why?"

"You'll learn eventually." He said cryptically.

"What?!"

Jack didn't say anything. He ignored the horrified looks he was getting and moved to walk away.

"Jack," Sally fretted. "Why would you…"

"Those aren't dreams _are_ they?!"

Jack froze as Anna's words echoed through the square. He didn't turn around.

"Anna. What dreams?" Sally said carefully.

Annalise glared at Jack's back. "He knows. Doesn't he?"

Sally looked toward Jack and took his hand. "Jack…"

Anna waited for a response. "I know what you did, Jack!"

"If you're saying so, then you _really_ don't know ' _what I did'_ ," Jack quipped dryly.

"I had three dreams before I died!" Anna shouted, "The last one was about me, but the first two was your story. You lived in Ireland..o-or Scotland. You trapped Satan in a quince tree and wouldn't let him down unless he agreed not to let you into Hell."

"Anna," Zeldabourne said nervously as monsters shifted at the story. "Everyone knows this, believe it or not…"

Anna glanced at her, mildly surprised that it wasn't as much of a secret as she thought. She kept speaking. "Then years later, your son was trapped in a burning barn, and you ran in to save him."

Jack stiffened and stared straight ahead.

"His…son…?" Some monsters whispered. They didn't know Jack ever…that was never in the story. Did he… _remember_?! But how... No one ever remembered.

Except Anna… Was she remembering for both of them?

"You got him out. But you…"

Jack shook his skull and growled at her. "Don't test me, _girl_. I don't have to explain myself to you."

Jack turned to walk away again, ignoring Sally's pleas.

Anna scowled at him. She wasn't done!

Suddenly, the ground right under Jack's feet burst into bright purple flames and ropes from a nearby cart shot out and wrapped around the Pumpkin King, arms cinching to his side.

Anna was too angry to be surprised, even as Citizens gasped in horror at the attack, unable to look away. Her hands weren't held out but clenched at her sides.

Apparently, the Pumpkin Fire wasn't faded like the witches thought. What on earth…

"I just had another dream! Jamie put a Jack O'Lantern on the windowsill and…"

"Anna!" Helgamine snapped in fear, "Put him down!"

Anna didn't have a moment to respond as her fire was suddenly engulfed by a different, bright orange fire and the ropes were burned off to ash. Her hands sparked, and she shouted in hurt and pulled them up close.

She jumped and cried out as the orange fire suddenly trapped her in a ring on the ground.

Jack glared at the girl as he stalked toward her.

She cowed as she felt his aura surrounding him twist and turn in her mind. She couldn't look away and froze in terror at the look on his face.

Jack walked through the fire, the flames harmlessly licking his coattails until he was glaring right at her sockets.

He was so close that Anna for a brief moment feared for her life before something reminded her Jack wouldn't hurt her. It wasn't a very comforting fact.

Jack was _dangerous._ Maybe not to her, if she was on his good side, and he had a well of patience. But he was dangerous, and she was pushing the line.

"Never…" he growled harshly, "Do that again. Am I clear?" His voice was sharp, but there was an odd…pain under the tone.

Anna nodded quickly in distress, tears pricking at her black circles when he wouldn't look away. She trembled. "Y-yes, sir."

Jack frowned and whispered so inaudibly that even the sharpest of ears couldn't hear. But Anna did. "I'm sorry Anna. But you shouldn't be here."

Jack just stared at her while Citizens murmured, wondering what he could have said to make her shut her eyes and flinch like that. "I, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Hallow's Eve, refuse to be your master," he announced loudly.

The surprised murmuring turned to gasps.

Anna looked down and nodded.

"Everyone! Get back to work, please," Jack requested.

The fire was extinguished, and Anna stood still. She tried not to whimper as her still developing fear twisted around in turmoil at being touched by the cloud of fear that surrounded Jack as the Pumpkin King stalked away.

Sally looked at Anna for a moment before glaring at Jack and walking to comfort the young skeleton.

"I didn't mean to…" the teenager whispered, "That fire…I…I thought it was gone. It was an accident…"

"I know…" Sally said.

The Mayor caught Jack's eye and tried to speak with him but Jack waved him off and shook his head, squinting in guilt as he went back to the Manor.


	22. Chapter 22: Second Thoughts

**SURPRISE! Another chapter in less than 24 hrs. This one has been sitting in my computer biding its time for at least a week. Let's call it a make up for updating late two chapters ago and add it to the Easter special.**

 **I think that I'm addicted to writing because this story is making me go into a spiral. Oh well!**

 **In other news, I'm worried about money. I go to school this fall, and I accidentally missed the deadline for a lot of scholarships, and my dad hasn't had a job in six months. I'm confident we'll figure it out, but I feel really stupid for missing so many opportunities. It really sucks. I can't even get need-based funds because we made too much last year and it's basically a lot of bad timing.**

 **Okay, I'm done ranting. Drop a review, please. I like listening to opinions. I need to go to sleep...**

Chapter 22

Second Thoughts

* * *

Anna slammed the door when she walked in.

Zeldabourne looked up from her conversation with Harlequin when Anna stormed in, eyes downcast and glaring at the floor.

"The Doctor finished those glasses for you. Jack brought them over."

Anna didn't say anything as she grabbed the cloth case that held her new reading glasses off the counter. It was a rather worrying reaction given how embarrassed she was about being caught "reading" a book upside down the day before. At the very least the skeleton should be happy to read after so long.

"How it go?"

Anna didn't answer and walked right past them without saying anything.

Harlequin and Zeldabourne waited for the slamming of her bedroom door.

"Who was it this time?" Harlequin murmured.

"Reginald wanted to give it a try."

"Oh, I can't see how that possibly could have gone wrong," the demon rolled his eyes with sarcasm.

"At least he tried," Zeldabourne defended the Melting Man. "I don't see _you_ jumping at the chance."

"And end up humiliating myself? No thanks. Word's gotten around. She's one of the worst scarers anyone's ever seen. She's unteachable. She questions everything. Her timing is terrible. It's the overthinking I think. She acts too…human."

"Now, that isn't fair…"

"Isn't it? I overheard Pinik talking. Anna's fantastic with the rope thing and the mimicry. She…um…no one's seen her use the…fire…B-but she's not applying anything else right. There's no enthusiasm in her scares. The only luck anyone's had was when Who taught her all those creepy voices. And of course," he paused, "There was that thing in the square."

Zeldabourne sighed and hung her head. "Will that be one jar of jellied brains or two?" she said tersely.

"Just one," Harlequin muttered before taking his jar and leaving.

A frustrated Zeldabourne batted at one of the spiders before apologizing then stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

Anna sat on the window seat, curled up as best as her form would allow. She had her hand outstretched toward her desk where spools of brightly colored thread sat. She twiddled her fingers, and the threads danced through the air, weaving colorful artworks that she would untangle when she felt like it.

The spools were a gift from Harlequin, Sally, and the witches. They all decided to give her something to practice her Trick on.

She tried moving other stuff. It didn't work. After she got these abilities, she spent nearly three days holed up in her room trying to move other things. _Anything._ The headaches abated quickly the more she practiced.

But her effort was useless. As bizarre as it was, she could only make string or ropes move. Actually, the rule seemed to be that if it was long and cordlike, then she could move it. She made weedy vines from the window planters across the street twist around and scare the cat familiar Trouble by wrapping around his tail when he was sleeping on the roof.

Then, of course, she worked on that prank she pulled on Lock, Shock, and Barrel. That was about a week ago on the 16th and today was the 23nd of November. Those three had yet to retaliate. And they weren't still tied up in their weird treehouse. She checked.

If she tried to move something like fabric, she couldn't unless she focused on the individual threads that made up the material. But that was challenging, and it was hard to keep up with.

It was weird for telepathy to be so specific like that. That's what Anna thought.

She stared out the circular window and jumped at the sound of her door creaking open.

Anna hissed at her own reaction, "Damn it!"

"Hey!" Zeldabourne snapped at Anna's self-loathing swear, "You're getting better."

"I jump at a pin drop. How is that better?"

"Everyone knows you have a little…issue…with fear. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I've been here almost a month Zeldabourne. I've been _dead_ almost a month!"

The witch frowned. "Don't yell at me, young lady. I've been dead nearly two centuries."

Anna's face dropped at she stared at the ground. She dropped her hand, but the threads on her desk continued to dance in the air. There wasn't a picture made yet.

Zeldabourne found it neat how creative Anna was with the thread. Give the girl enough time, and she could weave a painting out of the strings.

She had only kept one so far. It was a picture of Spiral Hill with the moon behind and the graveyard below. There wasn't enough black and white, so halfway through Anna started weaving the lightest blue and the darkest purple they gave her into the work. It made an interesting tinted effect.

"Where's Helgamine," Anna whispered.

"Collecting herbs. How did the lesson go?"

"Awful," Anna glanced up with a frightful scowl, "And don't think I meant that in a 'good' way. You're adjectives are sometimes confusing."

"Elaborate. About the lesson, not the adjectives."

"Mr. Reginald showed me how to hide behind tombstones. Just like the Count tried. And the Werewolf. But I looked stupid and couldn't fit properly. He tried to show me how to fade, but he couldn't explain it in a way I could understand. After he gave up, he just told me to run off out of sight and try circling back around to scare him."

"And…"

"I didn't know how, okay!" Anna stressed. "I really am trying. I swear. But I don't freaking know what I'm even doing."

"I know, dear."

"You're acting like Helgamine right now."

Zeldabourne chuckled, "Really? Most think we act very similar, even after knowing us for so long."

Anna shook her head a tiny bit and brought her knees up to her chest, "No. You're more act-first than Helgamine. And you've got a bit of a temper."

"Oh, do I now?" Zeldabourne chuckled.

"Helgamine is a little more serious. And she listens better."

" _Thanks."_

Anna grinned sadly. "That just means you're more willing to jump into something without hesitation. I was like that."

"I'm not sure I like that look in your socket, dearie. What are you thinking?"

"It's almost Thanksgiving, right?"

Zeldabourne frowned and rested an arm on Anna's chair, one eye watching the dancing threads. "The turkey freaks?"

"I guess…"

"I don't know when their holiday is. Still seems rather silly to me. I don't understand the appeal of sitting around a table worshipping a dead bird. What could they possibly be doing all year to prepare humans for _that?_ " Zeldabourne looked genuinely confused.

Anna snorted, "It's about being thankful for what you have in life."

"I guess that 'life' part disqualifies us," Zeldabourne scoffed.

Anna shrugged, "Thanksgiving is always on the last Thursday of November, by the way. It doesn't go by date."

"That's…today…" Zeldabourne said slowly.

"Yeah."

Zeldabourne stared, then gasped as she remembered.

"Anna…it's surely isn't so bad that you should be considering… _leaving…"_

"I can't do anything right…"

"That's not true. You only need to talk with us more. We can figure things out. That's what this town does. Everyone helps each other. But we can't help if you won't ask for anything. You won't talk to us."

"I talk."

Zeldabourne scoffed, "Girly! You lied about being able to read for _how long_?"

"I can _read."_

" _Oh yes!_ But you just can't see the pages because you're half blind," Zeldabourne reached over the desk to pick up the newest addition to Anna's possessions and carefully waved the eyeglasses in the air. "You only admitted to needing these when I caught you reading the book the Gatekeeper gave you upside down. And that was only yesterday."

Anna took the glasses with a scowl and tucked them into her jacket's pocket. "I didn't want to worry you. You've done so much already, and I'm just a guest."

Zeldabourne sputtered, "There's no such thing as 'guests' in Halloween! We don't have 'guests.' We never have 'guests.'" The witch paused as she remembered something, but decided not to mention it.

"Look. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's my choice if I decide to leave. Jack said so."

"Annalise..."

"Don't call me that. Get out, _please,"_ Anna implored.

"Are you…homesick? Look, that fight with Jack wasn't that bad."

" _Please."_

Zeldabourne stood there for a long moment before she turned away.

"You've haven't told anyone about those dreams you mentioned the other day," Zeldabourne said, "Are you ever going to?"

Anna shook her head.

The witch nodded.

Anna didn't look up until Zeldabourne was definitely gone. Then she opened the window.

"Meow?"

"Hi Jasper," Anna muttered. She climbed out her window and stood on the outside overhang roof. She looked back in on the cat.

Jasper and Trouble were the two cats that lived with the Witches. They were both black, but Jasper had blue eyes and Trouble's were green. They really seemed to like Anna, and she gave them treats sometimes.

"Can you do me a favor please?" Anna asked, putting her long hands on the outside of the window to keep her balance.

The cat jumped up on the window and looked down at her questioningly.

"I'm going on a walk by the cauldron."

Jasper glared at her and let out a small hiss.

"I know I'm not allowed. But I really need this, please? You can tell the witches _after_ I do it. I just need you and Trouble to be my look-outs while I'm using it. Actually, I might not use it. I don't know."

The tom just looked at her skeptical.

"I'll…give you my fish tonight…we're having fish tonight, right?"

The cat stared at her for a long moment conflicted before he finally nodded.

"Thanks," Anna smiled and planted a quick kiss on the cat's furry head before dropping down to the street.

She ducked under the window just in case someone saw her fall before slinking off toward the corner of the town center.

It wasn't a busy time, thankfully. The street was empty for the moment as most everyone was out in the back of town or the graveyard practicing scares. Anna didn't feel like joining…

Assignments were almost done being assigned, so monsters were doing their best to be picked for important jobs. No one had mentioned Anna having a job for the next year, so she assumed they were leaving her out for now. It made sense. She would be pretty useless with the scarers.

Anna didn't fully understand what all the jobs were, but she understood that it was common to have multiple responsibilities. Surprisingly enough, not everyone scared every year. There apparently were monsters that were lookouts for Halloween night. All they did was make sure humans didn't get pictures or unintentional help from a passerby. They also coordinated with the others to avoid security cameras. They also listened to police radio. Somehow.

They were known as the sneakiest, from what she understood, so Anna really hoped no one who actually wanted that job was nearby. Except for the cats. They helped with Halloween, and they were always Lookouts, usually partnering with the witches, but they helped everyone.

She couldn't sense anyone watching her as she darted toward the cauldron.

"Show me…" she stopped. Did she really need to look?

"Meow."

She looked down at her feet to see two cats looking up at her.

"I come here almost every day."

It's really not difficult to squeeze in a few minutes where no one would notice her stopping by the cauldron between visits with Sally.

But she hadn't been to Skellington Manor in a couple days.

Trouble nodded.

"No one's mentioned it, so I guess you never told on me."

They both nodded, and Anna got the feeling they didn't really want to get her in trouble if she didn't actually do something.

She hadn't used the cauldron, just stared at the empty water like a brain dead cat.

"But…I've been thinking…I have a chance to go home today. I know I've been enjoying myself and all but…I can't just…leave them."

She thought about everything that had happened so far. The monsters applauded her existence. They gave her clothes. A home. People. They were most certainly trying to give Anna a family. The witches were at least.

But she already had a family.

And then there was what Jack said to her.

He was right. She shouldn't be here. She didn't belong here.

"Show me Jelly Bean."

The cats shared a glance. Animals are very good at sensing what's best. While they knew they would get in serious misfortune with their witches for allowing Anna to watch events in the Real World, there was something bigger at play.

The murky water twisted and sloshed for a moment before coming into focus.

Anna didn't have the heart to break, but something inside her twisted at the sight. This was different than what she had seen before or expected.

* * *

Jillian was sitting on the curb outside their house. She was alone and had such a dead look in her eye.

The skeleton watched as a couple kids from school biked past, running over Jillian's feet.

"Hey, watch it!" one kid snapped, stopping their bike.

"Leave her alone, Kim," one boy said to the girl as Jillian looked away and brought her feet closer.

Kim just looked at Jillian for a moment before scoffing. "Mute freak." They rode off, and Jillian just sat there.

"Hey." James sat next to his twin. He glared after the biking kids.

Jillian didn't look up and just picked at her shoelace.

"Mark's waiting. He's going to drive us to the doctor's."

Jillian didn't say anything.

"I know you don't want to go, but mom thinks it will be good for us. Dr. Ramsey might give us candy."

"…"

"Mark's going to wait in the waiting room for us. He hasn't agreed to talk to the shrink either."

Jillian didn't react.

"I brought nuts. You know Anna always brought him nuts cuz he's so 'squirrely.'"

Jillian suddenly slapped the bag out of her brother's hand, spilling half the peanuts.

James groaned, "Why do you have to be like this? You're such a brat sometimes."

Jillian's glare hardened just a bit, but she still didn't say anything.

"I'm going so that mom will stop worrying. At least come for my sake if not hers, please?"

James wasn't as much of a force as Jillian, though always a little serious. But he was mostly a sweet happy kid if he could help it.

Jillian didn't move.

Her brother looked disappointed, "Okay, fine. I'll see you in an hour." He ran off to a nearby running car.

Jillian waited until the car was out of sight before standing up and walking down the street.

She came across the group of kids from earlier. They were in an empty park, their bikes chained to posts nearby.

"Hmm," Anna said with a small fond smile. She leaned her boney elbows on the rim of the cauldron and rested her skull in her hands. "What are you up to kiddo?"

She felt bad that she hadn't been looking in on them. But at the moment, she couldn't care less what Jack thought.

"What do you want?" the stupid girl from earlier snapped as Jillian walked up to her.

The eleven-year-old raised her eyes for the first time, and Anna saw the tears in her eyes.

Anna frowned. What was this? What is she doing?

Suddenly, Jillian punched the girl. Right in the nose.

Anna recoiled in utter shock.

"Why you little—."

"Kim! Don't!"

Anna gasped as the girl slapped her little sister.

The skeleton spirit covered her mouth in horror with both hands as her little eleven-year-old sister was beaten up by that girl even as her friends tried to pull them apart.

"Just fight back," Anna pleaded. She couldn't bear to watch. But she did.

Jillian was just letting the blows come. And she didn't say a single word the entire time.

"Just stop it please!" Anna shouted into the water at the girl who was hurting Jillian. "That's what she wants! Stop it! Don't touch her!"

Anna cried and gripped the cauldron tightly. She wasn't there protecting her sister. This shouldn't be happening. She ignored the frantic meows of cats who couldn't see what was going on.

"S-stop it. Just stop it!" Anna cried and couldn't look away until her little sister was a bruised crying child, black and blue, curled up on the ground.

"Kim! STOP!"

"Get off me," Kim snapped as she threw her friend's arm off. "She started it!"

"She's eleven, you psycho! You're thirteen!"

"…so…"

"That's the Grisholme girl!" the other friend said panicky. "Her sister died in the fire at the school! You're going to get us thrown in jail."

"I don't…" Kim swallowed, backing away from Jillian, "I don't know what came over me...I just…she…"

"Come on let's go!"

"We can't just leave her!"

"We got to go!"

"Don't you dare leave her," Anna snarled, her skeleton voice cracking.

But they couldn't hear her.

"Jelly Bean. Get up. You have to get up," Anna pleaded. "Come on, sis."

But Jillian didn't want to move. She just laid there in the dead grass on a November afternoon, crying.

"Someone help her. Please. _Anyone,"_ Anna whispered, shaking.

But no one came.

"I'm sorry, Jelly Bean," Anna whispered into the water. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm _so_ sorry. This is all my fault."

She never felt so helpless before.

Jillian eventually got up and went home, sneaking through the back door and hiding up in her room.

Anna watched as her sister passed by Anna's old room without looking at it and made a beeline for her own bedroom.

The girl sat on her bed and cried into her pillow, ignoring her bruises and bleeding lips.

That did it.

That…did it…

That was the last straw.

"I need to…" Anna whimpered. "I need to get back."

She let go, and the water rippled before the picture faded.

Anna sat down on the ground and sniffled. "What have I done…"

She was a terrible big sister. How could she be so worried about making the monsters here happy by being good at scaring while her little sister is getting herself beat up like that?

"I have to get back," she whispered.

"Meow?"

Anna glanced over her arm at Jasper.

Trouble had already left, most likely to get the witches.

"I know I'm a monster. I know I'm dead. But…"

Jasper twitched his tail and stared at her knowingly. He tilted his head.

"I know Jack said he would help me leave if I wanted," Anna said.

Jasper nodded.

"But I don't think he seriously thought I would consider it. Do I really need his help to get home?" Anna sneered, "I don't think he wants anything to do with me. I'm tempted to say the feeling's mutual."

Jasper tilted his head the other way.

Anna sighed and leaned back against the cauldron. "Why am I asking you? You can't even talk."

"Just because I don't talk to you or anyone else besides my witch, doesn't mean I can't."

Anna's eyes shot open, and she glared at Jasper. "I've been here a day over three weeks, and you're only just now talking."

"Oh, don't be so insulted. You're only the fourth non-animal creature I've ever spoken to in my life. And using a human voice is harder than you think. You should be honored." The Cat blinked his blue eyes.

"What's the special occasion?" Anna muttered.

"You do not understand how the world works," the cat purred, rubbing against her legs, "And frankly, Trouble and I were getting rather bored of your complaining. 'Oh, woe is me!' "I'm dead!' 'Boo hoo!' You want to go back to the Real World so bad? Good riddance. At least your incessant whining would stop."

"I think I liked you better when you just meowed," Anna snorted.

The cat jumped into her arms, "Come on then."

"Where are we going?"

"Away from here before Trouble comes back with Zelda."

Anna stood up, cradling the cat in her arms.

"Head to the graveyard. And scratch behind my ear, why don't you?" the cat purred, his voice deep and sultry.

"Isn't the graveyard where everyone is?" Anna asked, sneering at the cat.

"They are farther out, near the Pumpkin Head. Probably."

"What's a Pumpkin Head?"

"Three weeks! Has no one taught you anything?"

"…"

"Whatever. If you're leaving it doesn't matter."

"Hey now…."

"What? Having a second thought to your second thoughts?"

"I have half a mind to drop you…" Anna hissed.

"Horrid day Anna!"

Anna looked up at the Gatekeeper, having not noticed how quickly they got to the town gate.

"Oh hi!" Anna smiled. "Horrid day." She glanced down at Jasper who just curled up in her arms and licked his paws.

The Gatekeeper chuckled, "I think you're getting the hang of things. How did your training go today?" He looked at her in pity. Everyone had heard of the fight in the town square, and people wouldn't stop gossiping about what the two skeletons had said. He refused to pry, though. Anna was taking the situation hard as it was.

"Not great…"

"I'll say. I heard you jumped out to scare Reginald and slipped on his goop."

Anna scowled in embarrassment.

"I'm just teasing you, Anna," the Gatekeeper stretched a bit, "Not everyone figures things out quickly. Where are you headed?"

"The..uh…the graveyard."

"Going to practice?"

"Yeah," Anna felt awful about lying to him.

The Gatekeeper looked up at her a little suspiciously. "Is everything alright, Anna?"

"What? Of course. Why do you ask?"

The Raven shrugged. "I can be concerned about you." He noticed the glasses in Anna's pockets. "Hey! They're done!"

"What? Oh yeah. Jack…brought them by today…while I was out."

The Gatekeeper frowned. "Ah. He did. Well? Did you try them on yet?"

Anna set Jasper down and fished her new glasses out of her pocket. She held them up to her eye sockets.

"Very elegant. Very you, Anna. But…"

"Yeah, I know," Anna giggled, "I think we forgot I don't have ears or a nose to keep them on."

Anna let go as a demonstration and had to catch the glasses as they fell off her face.

The Gatekeeper burst out laughing, his laugh loud and very bird-like.

"Did the Doctor realize this?"

"I doubt it."

"Hold on a moment." The Gatekeeper ducked his head into the booth and rummaged around, still giggling like a school girl.

"Try this."

"Tape?" Anna snorted.

"Either that or Finklestein can make a stupid looking elastic band to go around your skull," the Gatekeeper smirked.

Anna snickered and rolled her eyes, not that the Gatekeeper could tell. She took the two piece of clear wrapping tape, deciding not to ask where he got such modern office supplies, and taped the limbs of her reading glasses to the side of her head. There was just enough of a nasal bone to keep the frames from slipping in the front if she didn't tilt her head too much.

"So? What do you think?"

"I believe that it is worth it to invest in a couple of ears. And a nose," the Gatekeeper laughed. "You could call it a face swap."

"Oh _eww…_ That sounds like a terrible idea. _"_

" _I know_. Isn't it wonderful?"

Anna plastered on a smile for him. He deserved it.

Besides Sally, the Gatekeeper was one of her first real friends that she made since arriving in Halloween. He was one of those types that was very mature and intelligent half the time but liked to joke around and make others comfortable when he wanted. He apparently didn't talk with other citizens very much because he always wanted to talk to someone about human things, ideas that he got from reading so many books.

That's where Anna and her retained knowledge of the Real world led to daily conversations between them.

"At least now you can actually read the books I give you," the Gatekeeper quipped, "Without secretly using a magnifying glass. I still can't bring myself to understand why you didn't tell anyone you couldn't see for so long."

"I didn't want to be a bother."

"Poppycock."

Anna reached into her jacket, flashing the gray stripes. "The Complete Tales and Poetry by Edgar Allen Poe." She handed the worn down antique book to the Gatekeeper. "You know, when I asked for a hint about what your real name is, I was expecting a little more of a challenge."

"Heh. Just don't wear it out, my dear," the Gatekeeper chuckled. "Names have power."

"What do you me— " Anna was interrupted as Jasper stretched up her leg and dug his claws into her dress pants. "Um..well." She took off the glasses and folded the tape so that it could be reused. "I should go."

The Gatekeeper nodded and pulled the lever. "Just be careful, Anna. And stay out of the Hinterlands!"

"I know."

Stay out of the Hinterlands. That's what everyone has been telling her. Helgamine explained it was those woods Anna had run into when she first woke up. Everyone seemed wary of them, but no one told her why it wasn't safe.

She stopped just outside the gate and looked back at the Gatekeeper.

"Nevermore?"

The Gatekeeper jumped and looked at her in shock.

"Thank you," Anna said genuinely.

The Gatekeeper, The Raven Nevermore, stared at her in worry. "For what?"

"For…being a friend."

The Gatekeeper looked at the skeleton's sad expression, "Anna what are you…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you later okay?" Anna flashed him a toothy smile.

The Gatekeeper frowned but nodded and sat back down as he watched Anna walk with one of the witches' cats toward the Pet Cemetery. He was worried and planned to ask Helgamine what was going on, besides the obvious, when he next saw her.

"Where are we going, Jasper?"

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. Noon?"

"Good. Then it's…uh…what's that turkey holiday called again?"

"Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, that."

"Wait," Anna stopped. "What does it being noon have to do with anything?"

Jasper looked at her oddly.

"It gives us time to travel."

"It was the afternoon with Jillian in the cauldron," Anna mentioned. She was really having trouble keeping track of time here.

"If time is different all around the Real World, why should it be the same here?"

"Yeah, I noticed that. Just checking. And you have a good point…"

"Of course I do. And to answer your earlier question, we're going to ask someone for help getting you to Thanksgiving. Then you can get from there to the Real World."

"Who?"

Jasper just jumped atop a tombstone and licked his paw.

"Arf!" the wispy, twisty, mist of a little ghost dog rose from the ground by Anna's feet and growled at the cat.

"Zero!?" Anna snapped, "Why would Zero help me?"

It wasn't that Zero and Anna didn't like each other, the opposite actually after they got over that rib stealing situation, but Zero was _Jack's_ dog. She was trying to _avoid_ Jack.

Zero tilted his head and looked at the cat and the girl questioningly. He then brightened and flew up to lick Anna's face, his strange nose flashing.

Anna snickered, "H-hey stop it! Down Zero."

"Stupid dog."

Zero growled at Jasper again.

Jasper glanced at Anna out the corner of his lazy eyes and stopped speaking English for the moment.

Anna watched patient, yet with confused bewilderment as the cat and dog went back and forth for a couple minutes.

She was a little surprised by how many noises animals actually made when they aren't worried about people.

If Zero's growls were anything to go by, he wasn't very convinced.

Jasper made some more chattering meows, but Zero wasn't having any of it.

Jasper hissed a little, "Hhhhee wants you to convince him to help."

Anna looked down at the ghost dog, who was looking up at her expectantly. She sighed.

"Hear me out, Zero. Please," Anna said, kneeling on the graveyard dirt in front of him, "My family needs me. I just watched my little sister purposely get herself beat up. She's only eleven."

Zero's ear perked, and he frowned, whimpering. He didn't like the idea of a child getting hurt.

"I've been trying to keep an eye on them, my family, but I'm missing things. I haven't seen anything important. I can't tell if they're okay. My timing is terrible, and the cauldron isn't showing me what I need to see. But today, I saw my little sister be thrown around like trash." Anna's voice cracked as she tried to keep from weeping pathetically.

"If that happened to her, then I don't know what's going on with James—my brother, or Mark, or my parents. Please, Zero. I don't know how you can help, but…" She squeezed her eyes shut and refused to cry anymore. "I need to see them for myself. I need to be there for them. I shouldn't be here."

Anna looked up when Zero nudged her hand and the dog whined.

He nodded.

"Why?" she whispered.

Zero whimpered and whined again.

Jasper translated.

"He said…he doesn't want you to cry…" the cat said, then lowered his voice even more as what Zero said next disturbed even him. "You look like Jack when _he_ cries…Zero hates it when Jack cries."

Anna looked at the animals. She couldn't imagine Jack ever crying, about anything.

"…T-thank you Zero."

Zero grinned and yipped happily, tugging at Anna's sleeve to pull her up.

Zero let go and flew around, signaling Anna to follow him.

Anna quick stepped after the dog. "What are…where are we going? And how does Zero know how to get to the Real World."

"There are more than one way out of Halloween Town," Jasper said, hopping across tombstones before jumping onto Anna's shoulders. "Usually, we can only leave on Halloween night, but I thought of a loophole. Jack already told you it."

"Leave on someone else's Holiday. It's Thanksgiving Day now. I still don't understand how 'leaving' works. But how do we even get to…um…."

"I think they would call…it…Thanksgiving Town. And Zero knows the way."

"How?" Anna asked the dog.

Zero looked behind at her for a long moment and gave the cat a pleading glare.

"It's a…long story…" Jasper chuckled.

"Is that...embarrassment I hear?"

"No! …J-just follow the ghost."

Anna did just that.

They passed by Spiral Hill and Anna noticed the Jack O' Lanterns growing by the strange landmark.

She stepped in something squishy and looked down to see a terribly rotted pumpkin. That was odd. She could have sworn there were many more healthy ones the last time she was in this area. She shook the gunk off her shoe, a little annoyed that her pants were so dressy styled.

Anna suddenly stopped short as she came under a twisty shadow and the path ended.

Zero stopped and circled back around when he noticed she wasn't following him anymore.

"Arf?"

Anna stared up at the twisty dead tree limbs. "We…have to go into the forest?"

"What were you expecting? The _lake?"_

Anna ignored the sarcasm and shuffled, "Everyone's been telling me to stay out of the Hinterlands."

"For good reason. I didn't say this wouldn't be dangerous," Jasper scoffed.

"And you're still hanging around with me? What's dangerous about this place?"

"…Things live here."

"Well, that's cryptic."

"Things that prey on human fear."

"...I'm not human."

"Humans _make_ human fear. But what do you think _we_ are."

"…Fears…"

"Exactly. Plus, it'll be dark soon. There are several things you don't want to be when entering the Hinterlands."

"And what are those?"

"A Human mind. And a monster who can't be scarier than the nightmares. And someone traveling at night."

"…I see the problem."

"Do you now? Then you're aware that everyone knows you think like a human?"

Anna stared at the woods. There was that fear again… the kind she hated. The kind that wanted to keep her from doing anything.

"You can always turn around…" Jasper said nonchalantly.

Anna glared at the cat lounging on her shoulder.

"I'm going _home_ ," she said with a level of finality, though her voice wavered, "I'm not supposed to be here. Lead the way, Zero."

 **Ok. This makes up for a temporary slow down until finals at school are done. I'll write to de-stress, but I'm not going to churn out a chapter a day. It will go down to a week. Next chapter? I'm going to shoot for next Monday, but I'll probably finish before then.**


	23. Chapter 23: Familiars and Familiarity

**I apologize for accidentally offending any Native Americans in this and following chapters. I admit that my knowledge of the culture of the Native Americans who shared the first Thanksgiving Feast with the Pilgrims is limited to what I managed to glean from the internet. I don't know that much about the Pilgrims either. I plan to include real historical figures in the story, and I really don't want to do anyone a disservice, but I have to take a little artistic license sometimes. If you have some corrections and are more knowledgeable than me, please tell me so that I can get this right and still have the story make sense. Also, this is a fanfiction. I don't own the Nightmare Before Christmas, and God forbid I own history.**

 **PS. I rated this Teen, right?**

 **PPS. Review! PLEASE! I love reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 23

Familiars and Familiarity

* * *

"Get it open!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do, _Jasper?"_ Anna hissed as she tried ramming the turkey shaped door again.

Zero growled as another pair of white lights appeared in the wood and another shadow streaked across their sight.

Jasper's hackles were raised, and he hissed.

"This," Anna said, freaking out, "Didn't happen the last time I was here!" She had barely had a moment to marvel at the strange doors Zero led her to after a long walk, before the forest darkened within a couple seconds and the animals suddenly lost their cool and growled and spat at the dark.

Anna was the one who didn't expect the innocently funny looking doors stuck in the trees, but none of them expected this attack.

"You weren't this far in," Jasper yowled. His eyes darted around in mad panic at the unseen attacker. He had severely underestimated how hostile the woods would be to them. This was _beyond_ anything he had ever seen.

The Hinterlands was the wood that haunted every human's darkest dreams. It was a fear in itself, and it was not always entirely safe for even Halloween Citizens, but this was ridiculous. Whatever _this_ was, this _wasn't_ the Hinterlands acting up. This was _not_ Halloween!

They needed to leave! This was bad! He had to tell Helga. Dodge! Left! Behind you! Tell Jack! Warn everyone! Something was here!

Intruders! Intruders! Danger!

There was a strange rattling sound near her, and Anna only had a moment before a shadow swiped at her head. She ducked and the creature melted into the air over her. She didn't get a good look at it.

There was a soft creaking, and Anna looked up from the dirt to see the door gently crack outward.

"Come on, Zero!" She grabbed Jasper by the scruff. The skeleton threw him down the hole as he yowled.

She climbed over the rim and was about to jump when something clawed her back, cutting deep gouges into her spine and ripping her favorite jacket to shreds.

* * *

This landing hurt.

Anna yelped as the dirt floor dug into her wounds.

It was a short fall, as if she had merely tipped forward from her place propped against the wall of Jamie's house.

She couldn't help it. She wailed, screaming at the ceiling in pain, her voice barely a whisper in the air to the human ears.

This was torture! She didn't need this _again._ No one could survive this twice. And it was slower this time.

"Stop your wailing, banshee! I didn't lea…" Jack stopped in shock. He was barely out the door when the strange spirit that followed him around shrieked in agony.

Some strange unexplained predisposition made him turn away from the man that stood atop the hill and run the couple steps back into the house at her cry.

How did the girl decay so much in such a short time? He was only gone a second.

She barely looked human anymore. There was a distinct odor of burnt flesh in the air.

Bones in various parts of her body were showing. It was a gruesome sight.

Little additional description is needed.

She was shaking in pain as she gripped his rags, pulling at him like a lifeline.

"It's alright, lass," Jack muttered, "I'm here."

He wondered why she should care if he was there.

Oddly enough, for both of them, she seemed to calm just a little.

He glanced around. He couldn't tend to the girl in Jamie's house. The humans couldn't hear them properly, but they could sense the pain in the air.

Mira was shivering and holding her blanket close.

The spirit's howling couldn't be good for the baby.

"Ah'm sorry, lass. Bear with me." As carefully as he could, he picked up the girl, smearing her blood on his snow white skeletal hands and staining his rags.

She cried out in pain as the cloth stuck and pulled at her burns that weren't too deep, but Jack shushed her.

"Calm down. I need to take you outside," Jack pleaded. Why on earth was he doing this? Who suddenly starts caring for a supernatural stranger he barely knows when he hasn't actually spoken to any other soul in years? All the girl has done is follow him around like disease and almost get him caught.

The turnip lantern's flame flickered as he stepped outside the threshold.

Anna could barely hear Jack over the sounds of someone yelling at her as her vision faded.

* * *

"Anna! Wake up, you stupid bone-girl."

Anna grimaced and opened her sockets, spitting leaves out of her mouth, the pain suddenly gone. "What happened?"

Jasper stopped licking her bony face with his rough, hooked tongue.

Zero nudged her hand.

"You're injured," Jasper said stiffly, imagining all the ways Helgamine was going to kill him, keep him as a ghost, and turn his pelt into a hat.

Upside: he'd make a very fine hat.

Anna winced in fear. "How bad?"

The cat jumped up on her chest and sat down.

Anna tried to reach up to push him off but could only manage a little twitch. "Why can't I move?" she demanded, her voice squeaking.

"You're spilling out spinal fluid," the cat said curling up uncomfortably on top of Anna's hard and spacious ribs. "If you were human, you'd be dead from a spinal injury."

"But I can't move. I'm para-."

"You'll be okay. But we're going to have to sit here for a couple hours until you're healed enough to walk. I'll help."

"How?" Anna deadpanned, struggling to glare at him on her chest when she couldn't move her head to see him. She literally couldn't feel anything whatsoever. It was a welcomed relief from her agonizing trips to the past. She was almost tempted to wish she _wouldn't_ heal and would just stay in this unfeeling bliss. But that was ridiculous.

"Magic," said Jasper quietly. "Now go to sleep. It will heal faster if you're not wasting energy."

Zero barked and licked Anna's face.

"Zero will guard us."

"One more question. Where are we?"

"I don't know. I'm assuming we're in Thanksgiving Land, but we aren't near the town most likely. We landed in the middle of a forest. Those leaves broke our fall."

Anna tried to nod before remembering she couldn't. "Ok."

"Now go to sleep!"

Anna rolled her eyes and closed them, "You're worse than Helgamine."

Jasper curled up tighter and muttered something, while Zero flew nearby keeping an eye out.

It must have looked very unusual; an eight-foot-tall skeleton lying prone, half covered by leaves and dirt with a cat on its chest and a partly invisible ghost dog barely in sight nearby, all of them surrounded by gold and red leaf-covered trees.

Jasper listened to the skeleton's faint "breathing." The girl still wasn't used to the fact that she didn't need to breathe and it gave him a good gauge of whether she was actually asleep.

" _Dog."_

" _Yes, Cat."_

" _Not that I care, but will you be punished for helping her run away?"_

The ghost dog twisted around in thought and whimpered. _"Jack will be angry. I don't want him angry…but…I think he would be sad if Anna's sad. If My Master is sad, I think that's worse."_

" _Why would he be sad? Monsters leave sometimes."_

" _Not like this. Jack doesn't want her to go, even if he said he would let her. She'll be alone in the Real World, and that is not safe. For her."_

Jasper was curious. It was dangerous for any Citizen in the Real World alone, but the way Zero emphasized Anna was suspicious. _"What so special about her? She's got Jack acting so out of character."_

Zero frowned at the Cat and didn't answer.

" _Fine. Then why are you helping?"_

" _Same reason you are. I don't really believe she'll go through with it. I think she'll come home."_

Zero was silent for a long moment, and the cat and dog stared at each other.

" _What attacked us?"_ Zero asked.

" _That's what I wanted to ask you since you seem to know more than you're letting on."_

The dog shook his head. _"That was…something else. Different."_

" _What?"_

" _It smelt…wrong…So wrong…"_

" _I know. I don't want to go back that way."_

" _We might not have a choice."_

* * *

Anna cringed as the chill outside air bit at her. She looked around, choking off her screaming for a moment.

Wait…she had passed out only a moment. Jack was still holding her. The old Jack…no the _younger_ one. Was she dreaming again? Or was this real? Or both. Oh, she was so confused.

And everything hurt. She started crying out again. Why was she so weak?! Oh God, it hurt.

Jack set her on the bench. He glanced up to see if the man on the hill was still there.

He wasn't.

"Don't do that strange disappearing thing ye do," Jack said.

Anna nodded weakly, barely able to see him. She kept crying, but her howling was replaced with sharp gasping.

He was back a moment later with a wet cloth and bowl of water he stole away from inside without the humans noticing.

Anna hissed at the sting of the cleaning as Jack got to work.

"Cease thy fidgeting, spirit!" Jack muttered.

Anna looked on, trying to be as still as she could. She glared at Jack in resentment. Yes, this was the past, but this will someday be the Jack that is in Halloween. She needed to vent. "I hate you." Immediately, her stomach dropped at those words, and she regretted it.

She stifled the regret and stiffened, glaring at the bone man stubbornly.

Jack looked at her in confusion. "I've done many things I no longer find pride in, maiden. But I remember the faces of those I've wronged, and you are not one such creature."

"Yet."

"I'm sure," Jack said in veiled amusement.

"You're going to remember this, aren't you?" she said mildly through the "discomfort," which was impressive. She was too tired to keep an aggressive posture and gave in to the weariness, relaxing as much as she could in pain. It still hurt just as much as before, but the wailing was exhausting. So she bit her lip and focused on getting through each second. One more second. One more.

The skeleton stared at her. Jack couldn't see her eyes anymore. They were gone (use your imagination), but she seemed able to still see him the same way he could see without eyes himself. Shame. Those green eyes were jewels any woman would be proud to have.

"Thou art delirious."

"No, listen to me," Anna said, trying to keep a childish whine out of her voice, "I don't know why I'm here. But many years in the future we're going to meet again. And you hate me. Ow! Watch it! So, I'm assuming I did something to you _here_. You might as well hate me now. It might—ow!—save some trouble later."

Jack sighed. "I understand what you're saying. And to be honest, miss, thou art too lucid at the moment to sound insane. But what do you possibly expect me to do with such knowledge?"

Anna sucked in a hiss through her aching teeth as he pressed the cloth to her legs. "You actually believe me? That I'm from the future?"

"I didn't at first—Be still, child!" he ordered. He pulled a frightful snarl at Anna, his teeth sharpening and his mouth stretching to horrible proportions while his eyes narrowed in a scowl.

Anna was startled by his face and froze as she remembered the fight between them.

Jack seemed surprised. "My apologies."

"That was…cool…scary…"

"I'm…sorry?" He didn't understand what she meant by "cool."

"No! That's good. I guess you really aren't the Jack I know yet…"

"Stop speaking in riddles," he asked with a tired moan, cleaning the blood off her skeletal hand up to where there was still ragged crisp flesh. He half expected it to fall apart as he touched it, as a real human's hand devoid of flesh might. But it stayed together like his own, though it wasn't out of proportion like his. And she had five fingers. "Either tell me of the future or don't. Stop dancing around words like an imp."

It hurt her too much to move her hand, but when her fingers twitched away from the cloth, it was apparent that the hand was still _alive_ in its own way.

It was pretty clear this girl wasn't human. No human being would still be alive this long with such worsening wounds. By a warped miracle, anyone would be barely conscious in the state her body was in. And being conscious was _not_ a blessing. He should know. He couldn't help but sympathize.

There wasn't much he could do except clean the dirt and excess blood out.

When he had done the best he could, he took the bloody cloth and dumped the water a distance from the house, burying the cloth and water to deter wolves. He wasn't even sure if her blood would attract predators or if it was even real blood. He could frighten them off anyway. Animals tended to avoid him.

He came back to sit next to her, having had a long moment to consider the situation.

"Why aren't thou afraid of me?" the tall creature asked.

Anna weakly tilted her head toward him. "…Well…I am...You're very scary. But I know you're not going to hurt me."

"Why? If you knew me, you wouldn't say so," he chuckled darkly.

"You're…funny…" she said, turning her head as if to look into the distance in thought, "You care about those close to you. You aim to please at times. But you can be a little harsh…to me…you never even gave me a chance," Anna shifted awkwardly. "What am I doing? This is real. You might remember me saying all this stupid stuff."

Jack leaned back against the house, his frame dwarfing hers. He put up a hand to stop her. "Let me grasp this." He held out his fingers to count. "Ye come from the future. Ye'ave seen days not yet passed."

Anna shrugged. "Some of them I guess," she quipped tiredly.

She tried to shift nervously but winced. It was different now, knowing that this was _real,_ not a dream _._ She was really in the past, or a past, somehow. Things she said really mattered now. She wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to know how she got there and why, but she figured it was pretty useless to ask the skeleton next to her. He was even more clueless than her.

This was Jack! This was that same tall, elegant gentleman that was courting her friend Sally and that every Halloween Citizen loved. But he was so different now. This Jack had an almost cynical air about him. He didn't seem as…passionate about anything, unlike the other Jack, who apparently loved a great many things a great deal.

He continued, holding out his third (and last) finger. "And something happened between when I left the house and came running back in at thy scream that made you stop believing thou art dreaming. Ye now think thou have traveled to the past to follow me," Jack said.

Anna nodded again.

Jack stared at her. "I've seen many a strange thing in my travels, spirit, but your stories overshadow them all."

Anna looked at him. "You're not going to ask what happened to change my mind?"

"Clearly, my future self was an arse." He said it so matter of the fact that Anna couldn't help but snicker.

The visual imagery of Jack Skellington saying profanity was enough to put her in stitches. Plus, he called himself an ass as if his future self was an entirely separate person.

He grinned at her laugh. "Odd. Most ladies would have slapped me for such language." He turned away to look sideways at her, "What is your name?"

"It's…" Anna tried to say, but it was caught in her throat. She couldn't. She recognized this feeling. It was just like that muting spell Shock cast on her when Boogie's Boys wrecked the Mayor's house. "I can't say. I think I've been cursed to not say my name." That sounded about right. She was still getting used to the concept of supernatural magic and powers, even though she had some of her own.

The skeleton frowned like he didn't entirely believe her, "Who would curse ye?"

Anna shrugged. "Whoever sent me here?" She chuckled weakly. "Heh…I hope it wasn't a future version of myself. That's just weird. When did my life turn from reality to fantasy to sci-fi?"

She didn't want to dwell on it, but the obvious fact that _someone_ had to have sent her here was incredibly disturbing. The idea that someone had a plan for her that she knew nothing about terrified her.

Jack sighed and shook his head confused. She spoke Gaelic almost perfectly, but her use of some words was completely lost to him. "Moving on. What art thou?"

"I think I told you before."

"Ah. A creature like myself." He still didn't believe that. The circumstances of how he got in his state were too unique.

Anna nodded.

"Doth thou have a family?"

Anna was surprised. "Why do you care?"

"Thou seem to know a lot about me. Ah'm merely leveling the field."

"I do," Anna said, her voice shaking from the effort it took to get a few words out without wanted to cry, "Parents. Brother. Sister."

"Are they creatures like thou art?"

"No…" Anna mumbled, "I died and left them behind. I shouldn't have."

Jack raised an eyebrow. Did she really have a choice?

She looked up at him, not realizing her eyes were dripping down her face.

Jack long ago decided not to mention it.

"That's what I was doing when I last woke up here. I was running away. Trying to find a way back home." She frowned, though one couldn't really tell with how messed up her face was. "And I was attacked…" she whispered in confusion. She hadn't thought about it. She was here because something knocked her out, then Jasper had her go back to sleep.

"Running away always seems like a good idea at first," Jack said, more to himself than her, "Then you find you can't stop."

Anna was quiet. "Speak…from experience?"

Jack nodded.

"But I'm _not_ really running _away._ I'm running home."

"I shall not pretend to understand thy situation, but from my experience, running towards home and running away depends on where 'home' is. Where is thy home?"

"It doesn't exist yet, I think. Not under the name I know at least," Anna said. "Home is Washington."

Jack had absolutely no idea where that was, but he instantly knew what to say. "No. I don't think it is."

The girl started in surprise. "What are you…"

"What about the other place? The place you're running from."

"It's great!" Anna said with a strained grin. The skin on her cheeks pulled painfully. "Mostly. But…" She trailed off, and her eyes fell, but the small smile didn't completely fade as she thought about the fantastic, strange things she had seen.

As she thought about it, it was extraordinary that she knew more secrets about the world in death than most humans could in life. She knew that monsters were real. Holidays were living (in a way) beings. Stories could come to life, like the Gatekeeper. He was literally the Raven from a fictional poem.

"You smile when you think of that place," Jack noted. "I hope to someday find a place like that. But reality is not so kind to me."

Anna shut her mouth. She stared down at the dying grass under her feet and gripped the bench, the irony not lost to her.

"Ye should rest if you can. I plan to stay here for a while until my son's wife recovers from her illness. Or until the babe is born, which could be any day now. I may wander this town in the shadows all winter if need be."

"Is Halloween coming?" Anna whispered, suddenly incredibly tired. She swayed.

Jack looked at her in confusion, but her eyes were closed. "Halloween? Do you mean the Samhain Festival? Er…Hallow's Eve?"

But she was too tired to answer and collapsed her matted burned head on his bony shoulder.

Jack was worried for a moment, thinking she had keeled over and finally died. But the banshee (his most recent theory for what she was) was merely unconscious.

Jack sighed sharply and decided to let her rest, mildly surprise she was doing so instead of disappearing into thin air like she seemed to do so often. In yet another uncharacteristic act of kindness, he guided her head to lay on his lap so that her neck wouldn't be at such a sharp angle.

He laughed at himself, the derisive cackle echoing in the quiet air as he recalled how he would do the same for an exhausted Jamie so many years ago.

Jack O'Lantern glanced toward the door behind which that same boy now sat with his ailing wife. The skeleton's sockets drifted to the top of the hill, half expecting to see that _demon_ again.

He put a bony finger against his chin in thought. What was that creature searching for in this place?

* * *

Jack shot awake as the book he was holding dropped to the ground from his limp fingers.

"Jack? Are you alright? Did something fall?"

"I'm fine, Sally," Jack assured with a sigh as the rag doll came into the parlor. He bent over the armrest to pick up the book.

Curse these memories.

 _Would you do it all over again? Knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?_

Jack shook the whispering away before he could comprehend the words.

The skeleton wouldn't meet Sally's eyes. They hadn't spoken much since that day when Anna attacked him. Perhaps the timing had been bad, but after she had come home, Sally had demanded that explanation from him.

Well,…she got one.

Sally was angry at him for what happened with Anna in front of the whole town. It takes a lot to make sweet Sally angry.

Their conversation didn't make things better.

What the heck was Jack expecting of her?

He knew it wasn't fair, but Jack was wise enough to know that he needed to trust Sally with that particular secret if he really loved her, even though the idea terrified him like none other.

The last five days hadn't been pleasant. Five days since Anna attacked him and opened up a host of unpleasantries.

Jack, Sally, and Anna haven't spoken to each other in any combination since.

Sally stood in the doorway awkwardly. "Jack?"

Jack ignored her for a moment as he dusted off the book and stood up to put it back in its place on the bookshelf. He rubbed his eye socket on his sleeve tiredly.

Sally sighed and came in all the way in, sitting on the couch across from Jack's chair. "I…thought about what you told me." She spoke softly, as if struggling to put her thoughts into words.

Jack froze minutely, then nodded. "Sally, I understand if you want to leave…"

"What? Of course, I'm not leaving," Sally said hurriedly standing up to come to his side, "Jack, look at me. I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I know you used to be human. You keep making 'since I'm dead' jokes. And I've thought about it before, so I figured you probably had a family when you were alive. It's not too hard a leap to make. And I'm okay with that! It's just the _other_ stuff that's surprising. I can't imagine you doing all those terrible things. Curses? Deals? Demons, Jack?" She clasped both of her hands around one of Jack's. "I don't even really know what a demon is!"

Jack put his other hand on the bookshelf and bowed his head. "Dying didn't straighten me out those first few decades."

"Anna needs to know…"

"Ah. And pray tell, what should I tell her, hmm?" Jack said, letting go of Sally's hand and sitting back down. He leaned on the armrest and looked up at her.

"The truth would be an excellent start."

"And what will everyone think?"

"They'll get over it, Jack," Sally said, sitting on the floor beside the chair, cross-legged, looking up at him. "So what? You're not a perfect Pumpkin King. You expect too much of yourself. I love you as you are now, my dearest friend, not as who you used to be. _Everyone_ loves you for who you are. You're the Pumpkin King! But you're still Jack."

Jack looked down at her. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you for being you, Sally," he murmured. It was difficult to admit, but having Sally by his side knowing the secret he kept hidden for so long made his soul just a bit lighter.

"Of course, Jack. And I'm sorry I've been so quiet these past few days. It's was a lot to think about."

Jack nodded, a small forced grin on his bony lips. "I still have to wait."

"For what?!"

"Anna…she already knows…or she will. Somehow…I can't explain it…"

"This is crazy, Jack."

"I know! I know. Just…" Jack sighed. "I know it doesn't make sense…but I _remember_ when she found out. That… _look_ in her eyes. I can't forget it, no matter the years."

"But if you tell her now…"

"Then she could warn me? Everything I know as history could change," Jack said. "History has its place, my dear. I've had a long time to think about this."

Sally leaned her head on his armrest. "This is wrong, Jack," she pleaded.

Jack bowed his head and nodded. "I know."

* * *

Anna's eyes shot open at the sound of two shrill screams and panicked, horrified gasps.

She felt Jasper shift and heard him whisper, "Don't move. Stare straight ahead and don't move." A second later, the cat jumped off and ran away.

"Go get the Chief and the Governor, White!"

"Is that…a dead body?"

"I think so. Stay back!"

"It's a skeleton! How come we never noticed someone out here before?!"

"Well, don't touch it, Little Braid," one voice cried a little hysterically. "Where'd that black cat go? Oh no, these are bad omens." The speaker trailed off into panicky moans.

"I'm not going to touch them. I just want to figure out how a body got here."

Anna tried not to stiffen as the speaker came closer. They were a girl. An Indian Native with brown hair and brown eyes crouched down. She was pretty and looked to be a little older than Anna. Her hair was shorter than expected and tied in a single braid down her neck. She wore a deerskin dress with some designs Anna didn't recognize and thick leather moccasin boots.

The girl tilted her head. "T-they aren't human. No human is this tall."

Anna was expecting more of an accent honestly.

The girl sounded astonishingly modern Midwest American, but not quite.

"Then what is it? Did something—or someone- from the Real World fall in here?"

"I don't know. White! Why haven't you gone yet?"

"I was thinking…"

Anna heard the sound of feet shuffling in the leaves.

"Everyone so busy with Thanksgiving. What if we waited…"

"This is an emergency! We don't know what it is or what it's doing here! What would our parents think if we didn't tell them about a dead human in our world?"

Little Braid ignored the bickering of her three companions and picked up a stick, bringing it close to Anna's face in concern. "It's _not_ human," she muttered.

"What are you doing?" someone, the only other girl, whispered harshly with a squeak in her voice.

"Shhh." Gently the girl Anna could see used the stick to turn Anna's head to the side and cleared a few leaves, looking for an injury.

It took everything not to move and let the stick push her head. Anna was holding her breath, which was understandably easy. Her lungless chest didn't even burn.

Then the stick slipped into her socket, and all bets were off.

"OW!" Anna sat up straight and put a hand to her eye and tearing the stick away with the other hand.

Jasper would have facepalmed from his place under a bush if he had hands.

"AAAAHHH!"

The people screamed bloody murder at the suddenly animate body.

Little Braid gasped and fell backward. She bravely grabbed the dropped stick again and jabbed it at Anna's face, the stick poking Anna in her other eye.

Anna shouted, rubbing her eyes and letting out a pained growl. She stumbled backward, tripping over a branch, and falling into a pile of autumn leaves. She could blink away the pain, but it was reminiscent of getting dirt in her eyes as a human. Thankfully (pun not intended) it wasn't as bad as actually getting her eyes gouged out.

The skeleton rose to her feet shakily and half blinded. She glared down at the Thanksgiving Citizens and, without thinking pulled a scary face.

To her is was just a pained scowl. All she really meant to do was snap at them for poking her sockets, then say, "I come in peace," "Take me to your leader," or something else that sounded less silly.

Unfortunately, something was lost in translation. They took her face as looking demonic and threatening. They screamed again, scrambling away in terror, having seen nothing like it before, Little Braid hurling her stick weapon at the skeleton who managed to duck before her skull has knocked off her neck.

Anna rubbed her eyes and stared at them in confusion, "Wait! I didn't…"

But they were already gone, the frantic voices fading as the four teens ran for their lives.

Little Braid glanced back in terror, but only for a moment.

Anna stared dumbstruck at the suddenly empty forest, mouth agape.

"Not too bad for your first scare," Jasper commented, slightly pleased, "Though it's a shame you ruined the celebration of scaring your first non-citizen on your first Halloween."

Zero floating down from where he had hidden in the trees above. The ghostly pup whimpered apologetically.

"Not your fault. For once," Jasper said to him while licking a paw, "You warned us in time. This deaf skeleton wouldn't wake up!"

Anna blinked and shut her mouth. She was sure this wasn't the right time, but Jasper set it up too well.

"You could say I slept like the dead."

"Shut your damn mouth and let's get out of here before those weird Thanksgiving Spirits come back!" Jasper snapped, too stressed to deal with any stupid jokes.

Zero forced out a nervous, weak barking laugh at Jasper's distress.

"It was over this way!"

 **Sorry, this is so late everyone. Plus you caught me at the beginning of finals' week. Wish me luck! (I need it.) There probably won't be an update this next week, so drop some nice long reviews so I can be encouraged to pick my momentum up when tests are over.**


	24. Chapter 24: Missing

**GAH! It's been too long! Read and review please! Feedback is a gift. Report: We hit 5,050 views today! Cool!**

 **And finals are over. Have been for the past week. I got all A's and one B. So, I ruined my 4.0 gpa. :/ I'm done grieving. What's important is that I accomplished something. Though several of my friends were sorely unsympathetic of course. You guys are awesome.**

* * *

Chapter 24

Missing

Trouble stared up at his witch with as downcast and sheepish an expression as a cat could manage. He had explained how he and Jasper didn't do _anything_ as Anna snuck out her window.

And then he took so long to tell Zelda. Granted, in his defense, he couldn't find her for hours.

Zeldabourne for her part was too busy trying to decide what to say to Anna to concern herself with a disobedient and irresponsible familiar.

Helgamine was visiting monsters who would be answering to them this year and wouldn't be back for several hours, so that left Zeldabourne to discipline the skeleton.

She knew they shouldn't have let it go that one time!

It should have been a red flag that Anna disobeyed Jack's request so soon after he made it, but the witches let it pass. They should've told the Pumpkin King. Why didn't they turn Anna in that time they caught her? She would have learned her lesson sooner.

They both expected Anna to behave like a monster. But _humans_ are stubborn. When they want something and see it as their right, they will trick themselves into justifying even the worst actions.

Had they scolded a Halloween-Born, a Legend, or even another Undead, they would be respected and listened to.

But Anna didn't have that close a trust with any of them. She saw them as friendly, but not elders to heed. She didn't _understand!_ The lass didn't understand just how damaging it was to grasp at tenuous connections to her life as she did.

Zeldabourne tightened her grasp on her broom.

The Wind was having a field day, its wordless shrieking drowned from her own ears. It wasn't safe to fly her broom. Normally she wouldn't care anyway, but the gusts were stronger than normal. She couldn't be bothered to concern herself with the lack of a faint voice crying haunting praises to the storm. The Wind wasn't quiet in the slightest, but it said nothing to her.

She entered the pavilion that housed the cursed cauldron, half expecting Anna to be sitting on the ground waiting for her punishment with an uncaring look in her eyes that said, "Better to ask forgiveness than permission."

But she wasn't there. Neither was Jasper, as Trouble said he would be.

The witch looked down at her trusted companion. "Trouble?"

The cat looked genuinely surprised and meowed a little.

"I believe you. Where could they have gone?"

* * *

The shrill scream of Jack's doorbell interrupted lunch. He and Sally weren't using the dining table this time as the kitchen table was enough for such a hastily put together meal.

Despite their conversation in the parlor, Sally was still reeling from the secrets Jack had told her in the privacy of his study after the fallout with Anna. Despite what she said, the poor ragdoll still wasn't sure what to make of everything. But things were getting better. She didn't feel too terribly sick about what she knew, but she did still feel guilt gnawing at her insides.

Jack once again made her promise not to tell Anna anything, a feat that was easy so far because the young skeleton hadn't shown herself to Sally in the past five days.

The atmosphere between the bone-man and ragdoll was still a little awkward as Sally had so many questions that Jack wasn't ready to answer.

Jack's sockets twitched as he watched Sally stand up, realizing too late that the doorbell wasn't his imagination.

"I'll get it," he said quickly, but Sally was already walking to the door.

Zeldabourne didn't wait for Sally to greet her.

"Is Anna here?" the witch said hurriedly, an almost frightened tone dripping from her already scratchy voice.

"What?" Sally said, her grip tightening on the door at Zelda's voice, "No. Why?"

"I can't find her anywhere. My cat is off searching the streets, but he can't find Anna or Helga's cat."

"She's not in her room?"

"Of course she's not in her…!"

"What's going on?" Jack said as he came behind Sally.

Zeldabourne felt more conflicted than she had in a long time.

Jack was The Master of Fright. A witch's fondest dream.

But Anna was shaping up to be an adopted charge of sorts, and Zeldabourne's glossy eyed vision of dear King Jack had gotten a few… _uncomfortable_ cracks of late.

Part of her wanted to plead to Jack for assistance, another part wanted to glare at him and blame him for Anna's disappearance.

It may seem silly to you. But please, you must understand, the Citizens of Halloween all loved Jack. Adored him. He was their celebrity. Without going so far, he was their god. He was always so caring and passionate and always so eager to please to a fault, that to see another side of him—a side that used to be _human,_ that could anger, that could turn away a youth who was looking for someone else to look up to—it was almost painful.

Imagine someone you trust. Your father. Your mother. Anyone you look up too. Have they ever disappointed you? In that moment did the world crack just a little when you realized that they were people just like you.

The witch knew she was overthinking it. But a part of her felt betrayed.

Often Citizens forget their age, but she remembered that Jack was even older than her. In fact, no one was sure, but Jack was likely older than nearly everyone in town. Even Finklestein! The skeleton saw them at their worst. At their beginnings, even before he was the Pumpkin King. And they always took it for granted because of his youthful lighthearted persona.

Zeldabourne shook herself out of her thoughts and quickly explained what Trouble had told her about Anna sneaking off to use the cauldron and how she couldn't find that Skeleton anywhere.

"She doesn't wander town very much," Jack mused with a frown, ignoring the slight glare Zelda unconsciously gave him as he spoke. He knew it was unconscious because the witch's eyes narrow more if she's trying to make a statement. "She mostly stays around the Shop, this house, the square, or the Gate."

Sally decided not to question how Jack knew that if he barely spent time with the teen.

"She could be with the Doctor," Sally suggested.

"Immediately after seeing her sister abused by a rotten little twerp? Why go for a check-up? She doesn't like Finklestein," Zeldabourne growled.

"I'm assuming you checked the Gatekeeper?" Jack said.

Zeldabourne's glare hardened. "No." Now the look was on purpose.

"Well, she's most likely with him then. They seem to have crafted quite a friendship. When you find her, please tell her to meet me at Town Hall. We need to discuss what to do about her breaking the rules. Besides that, I'm not sure there's need for alarm."

Sally stiffened at the look that went between the other two monsters.

"I'm _alarmed_ because the girl who's apparently _my_ charge, and not _yours,_ is missing!" Zeldabourne snapped, slamming her broomstick into the porch. "And the Gatekeeper is on his break, and I don't know where he goes off to. Otherwise, I would _not_ be coming here of all places. _Someone_ has to worry about her. _"_

Jack looked shocked at the small witch's behavior, "If you please. Perhaps you should calm…"

"Do not tell me to calm down! Can't you sense it?! Something's wrong. The Pumpkins are dying. Strange shadows appear on the lake. The Hinterlands are frightening even to us! And now Anna is gone after she sees her living sister in danger! She has dreams about _you?_ Jack, you can't reasonably tell me _something_ isn't wrong."

"It isn't my place to…"

"How can something not be 'your place,' Jack?! You're the Pumpkin King!"

"That's exactly why I can't tell you."

"That's cr—"

"Enough," Sally didn't need to yell, but her voice was stressed enough that both older monsters shut up.

She looked at them sternly. "What is wrong with everyone?" she grieved. "I'm only three years old, and both of you hold centuries of experience over me, yet here you are arguing like children." She sounded like she wanted to cry. She took a deep breath and said calmly, her voice a rock in the windy storm, "Why don't you think anything is wrong Jack?"

Jack looked down at Sally and Zeldabourne. "It isn't that I don't think something's wrong. I just want to be sure we aren't overreacting…"

"Perhaps I _am_ overreacting," Zeldabourne admitted, claws drumming her broom in a staccato fashion for a few seconds before she gripped it solidly. "But I was always able to tell where she was, and given what happened Saturday…"

"I understand," Jack said, guiltily sighing through his nose a little, "Do you think this warrants an emergency meeting?"

"Everyone will be very cross with me," the witch said, "But yes."

Jack thought for a moment before clearing his "throat" and nodding. "…Very well."

Zeldabourne nodded sharply and turned on her heel.

Sally looked up at Jack as Zelda stomped down the steep, uneven walkway.

"Are you really not worried?" the ragdoll asked tensely under her breath, almost snapping at him.

Jack took her hand overlooking the fact that she was a little angry with him. "Actually, I'm terrified," he hissed under his breath, "I need your help to get everyone to Town Hall as quickly as possible."

Sally looked at him in surprise, "Then why didn't you say so to Zelda?! She thinks you don't care about Anna."

"There's no need yet. Someone has to be calm."

"And you are the _last_ person to be so." Sally forced a scoff, but her voice wavered.

"Let's just find her, please. She's probably just exploring."

"What if she isn't?"

"Then I'll deal with it."

Sally nodded and went off to fetch the Doctor, knocking on doors as she went, while Jack went to the Mayor's house.

Less than five minutes later, a screeching cry of the Mayor's alarm and the deep tolls of the town bell-the regular one, not the Requiem Bell- echoed through the townscape.

The Gatekeeper looked up in surprise. He was hidden away in the back of the library writing his newest poem before he was rudely interrupted. He tilted his feathered head, listening to the tolls of the bell.

They had a system. If it were a scheduled Town Meeting, no alarms would go off, everyone would simply pass the news along or check their calendars. They had regular meetings every fortnight on Sunday. But it was Thursday.

If Jack or the Mayor called a meeting that was important, but not dangerously urgent, they would sound the bells and alarm, and the Mayor would go about announcing a meeting that night. Just like the regular meetings, not everyone was required to attend, so long as they had a proxy or someone who could tell them the news later.

However, if it was an emergency, _everyone_ or an official proxy for their street had to be there immediately. And you had to have a damn excellent reason for not attending.

The Gatekeeper counted the tolls. An emergency meeting had a particular rhythm to the tolls, unlike an important-but-not-urgent meeting.

Dong-dong-dong dong dong-dong-dong dong dong-dong-dong dong….

The Gatekeeper's eyes widened, and he surged to his feet, shapeshifting into a raven and flying as fast as possible through the bookshelves. He left his work, quill dripping ink on the paper.

Unfortunately, much of the Library was underground in a sectioned off part of the catacombs that ran under the town and connected to the graveyard crypts. Nevermore twisted through the tunnels looking for one of the stairs, hoping he wasn't as far down as he sometimes accidentally went when he wasn't paying attention. The loud sound of bells was misleading as they were designed to be heard everywhere, even underground. It didn't matter how far underground one was. They were sounds made to wake the dead. Literally and metaphorically.

Jack stood on the steps of Town Hall directly underneath the Year Clock, impatiently pacing back and forth as the skeleton eyed the rapidly growing crowd, searching.

The Gatekeeper was one of the last ones in the square and hurriedly perched on top of the fountain, right on the edge of the fountain serpent's mouth where the water came out.

The bird and the skeleton locked eyes and sockets, and to the Gatekeeper's confusion, Jack looked distraught at seeing him.

The Pumpkin King looked away and hid his expression quickly.

The exchange was bizarre enough that the Gatekeeper wasn't insulted but concerned about why the emergency had anything to do with him.

Jack and the Mayor kept a close watch on the flow of Citizens who entered the square.

There was a relatively large population in Halloween town, some of whom were recluses and hadn't been seen by any other citizens except on Halloween, if at all. Thus, emergency meetings couldn't reasonably fit inside Town Hall and had to be outside in the square.

The Gatekeeper shifted awkwardly as a wraith hovered next to him.

"Greetings," it said.

"Hello, Tyrsicsa," the Gatekeeper cawed. "Long time."

The wraith's pale face and burning eyes nodded. "Why was my slumber interrupted?"

"I suspect we'll find out soon enough."

"Everyone quiet down please," Jack called when the trickle of creatures had slowed to a steady crawl. "Would Annalise please speak up?"

The crowd murmured in confusion. Even the majority of those who weren't the most social of creatures knew of a new arrival. Why was she an emergency?

When no specific voice rose above the crowd, Jack turned to the Head Witches who were up on the steps with him. "Does she know to come when the bell rings?"

Helgamine nodded stiffly, having been one of the first to arrive. "We told her about the meeting rules."

Zeldabourne had explained to her what was happening.

Jack frowned and turned back to the confused crowd of horrible creatures.

"It appears that Annalise is missing," he announced tersely. "Has anyone seen her?"

The Gatekeeper looked up sharply and tried to speak, but his voice was suddenly drowned out by the complaints.

"Who's Annalise?"

"The newcomer."

"We have a newcomer?! Since when?"

"Halloween."

"Is she really a skeleton?"

"Did you hear? She attacked Jack. I'll bet she's in trouble."

Lock, Shock, and Barrel came too, but they were just sitting atop a roof quietly, for once. If anything, they looked disgusted and bored out of their brains. Who cares where the string-obsessed-twiggy-freak is?

"We were called here because a teen decided to wander?" someone shouted from the back.

"Surely she's simply not familiar with the way things work here."

"This is a waste of time, Jack!"

"Jack she…"

It was no use, Jack couldn't hear the Gatekeeper over everyone else.

It wasn't safe to fly with all the creatures taking up the air above him and with the Wind acting up for some reason. But still, if Anna was missing…

The Gatekeeper lifted his wings and flew straight into the air, immediately dodging a ghost and trying to reach the steps. The haphazard flight was more a case of one step forward, two steps back rather than actually useful. Maybe it would have been better to head low and dart through the walking crowd. Too late.

Zeldabourne noticed the animal's struggles to avoid the oblivious other flyers and frowned. Where was he when she was looking for him?

Jack facepalmed and sighed long-sufferingly as the crowd got out of hand. "Silence!" he screeched into the square, his skeletal shriek shutting everyone up. "One at a time, _please,_ for Halloween's sake!"

The Gatekeeper was so surprised by the command that he didn't notice someone's wing before it was too late.

His small body was suddenly knocked out of the air, and he failed to stabilize himself, crashing into a pillar beside Jack.

The skeleton man ducked to avoid his head being knocked off and immediately crouched in amused concern as he realized what happened. "Gatekeeper? Are you alright?" he asked in slightly morbid curiosity.

"I'm sorry Gatekeeper!" Jersey cried, worried she had hurt him as the crowd murmured, most unable to see what happened.

But the bird shook his head and winced, his right wing hanging limply.

"I was trying to tell you!" the Gatekeeper snapped up at Jack, ignoring his obviously broken wing. "She came by the gate earlier today. She was with Helga's cat and heading to the graveyard."

"May I?" Jack said, putting a hand out.

The Gatekeeper rolled his eyes and nodded, allowing Jack to pick him up and hand him off to Helgamine where he was out of the way of being stepped on.

Jack said to the crowd, "Who was out in the graveyard today?"

Several appendages went up, Harlequins included.

"Did any of you see her?"

The was a round of negatives, and the appendages went down.

Jack crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his arm in agitation. He had a terrible sinking feeling in his ribcage. He had hoped Zeldabourne overreacted.

"Could she have…left?" Sally spoke up. The ragdoll was seated in the branches of the Hanging Tree, her friend having offered a place out from the crowds below.

Jack looked at her, "What do you mean, my dear?"

Sally swallowed. "She used the cauldron…a-and she saw something that scared her didn't she?"

Zeldabourne nodded, "Trouble said they watched her sister attacked and beaten. The girl's just a child. No older than twelve."

There was a gasp in the crowd. A child hurt?

The Mayor wrung his hands, "Perhaps she just wants some time to process that unfortunate event…"

Helgamine snapped. "What's more likely? That she holed herself up somewhere to cry about it, or that she tried to find a way back to the Real World to help her sister."

Jack's posture changed so subtly that many monsters who noticed took a few seconds to realize they saw Jack afraid.

Not just situationally surprised, but honestly _frightened_ with the kind of fear that really wasn't fun.

The skeleton hadn't been wanting to entertain the possibility.

"But _how?"_ the Mayor argued. "Most of us can't leave except on Halloween."

"It's Thanksgivings Day," Jack said in realization. His eyes narrowed. "Speak now. Who here knows how to reach the Holiday Doors?"

Hundreds of monsters fervently shook their heads, their strange features moving like a wave of the creepiest things in and out of existence.

"Only you and I, Jack," the Mayor said. "And Boogie's Boys…"

"Lock. Shock. Barrel. Are you here?" Jack called while other citizens grumbled.

"Here," Lock growled and waved from the top of the roof with the other two, clearly not happy about being called out. Still, it was really cool they knew something the other citizens didn't, especially since that was because the others were too _scared_ of other Holidays to go looking, the wusses.

Jack narrowed his eyes at them and said seriously, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"Maybe we did," Shock giggled with a mischievous glint.

Barrel panicked at the look on Jack's face and elbowed Shock roughly. "We didn't do this!"

"Barrel!"

Jack ignored the shouting and severe crash as the other two tackled Barrel and all three fell off the back of the roof they were on.

"Well, we're all here so…"

Jack's sockets widened, and he realized that someone else was missing. He cupped his hands around his jaw. "ZERO!" he called out into the air.

They waited for a second for the signaling bark of Jack's dog, but no sound came.

"ZEEERRO!" Jack said, unable to keep the urgency out of his voice.

Zero always came when first called, if he could; him being a flying ghost helped.

"Jasper _and_ Zero have to be with her," Helgamine said with a scowl.

"But why would Zero…" someone started.

"Listen! Everyone!" Jack said, his tone catching their attention. "I know this is an unusual request, but this is an unusual situation. While usually, I would allow Anna to make a decision to leave on her own, it is imperative that we find her. She cannot leave Halloween! If she is still in our world, we have to find her. All those who have a secret way to the Real World, I need you to use such ability and search for her there. I know you can't interact with the Real World, but try your best to find her if you can."

"But where are you going?" the Mayor asked over the clamoring.

Monsters dispersed, no one complaining about losing a day of their own time to do as Jack requested. If Jack was willing to make a big deal of this, then it was just that. He would _never_ normally ask those who _could_ go to the Real World to do so.

Still, their loyalty doesn't mean silenced gossip.

Samara from The Ring and Bloody Mary met by the fountain, both girls to discuss where they would go before splitting up.

Samara went to her own little house with the wraiths that adopted her. There, a permanently static television was always on in her room as a gateway to her private void.

Mary went to the neighboring house with its cursed mirror she called her own.

Jack lowered his voice, "I'm going after her."

"Then let us help…" Sally said.

The Mayor's head switched around. "Oh dear…"

Jack considered it for a moment.

"We'll cover more ground in the Real World," Sally reasoned.

"Well you aren't leaving us behind," Helgamine said.

Zeldabourne nodded with her.

"Me neither. I'm coming too," the Gatekeeper said stiffly. He was well-rested so his voice wouldn't be fading for a long time, "After…I fix my wing…damn it."

"N-now hold on," Jack said, putting his hands up to slow them down. "I didn't say you could come. I need you all here. The Real World is dangerous for us when it isn't Halloween."

They hesitated.

"How different could it be…" the Mayor said eventually.

"…oh dear," Jack said.

"Jack please…"

"No, Sally. Elephant in the room. This is obviously _my_ fault. I have to find her."

"Which is why you need the help of your loyal subjects," Helgamine said, with a forced playful tone. "Anything for you, Jack."

"Absolutely not."

"Jack Skellington," Sally scolded, "If Anna is in danger, a danger you seem to be avoiding telling everyone, then I _will not_ sit at home on my hands!" Her voice wavered. She knew exactly what danger the girl was in.

"Not that I'm advocating Anna leaves, but why have others been allowed to leave if it was their choice, but Anna shouldn't?" Zeldabourne said.

"Here-here," Helgamine nodded sharply.

Jack glanced at the skyline, "It's a long story."

"Good thing long stories are exactly what we are."

"Either you let us come, or I'm never giving you children," Sally said bluntly, ignoring her own blush.

Other monsters nearby looked up in bewilderment at the overheard conversation.

Jack blinked at her, sputtering.

"Uh…." The Mayor, the Witches, and the Gatekeeper looked between the two uncomfortably. Well, actually, the witches looked like they wanted to burst out laughing.

Jack looked flustered. "S-sally. That's n-not appro—."

Sally crossed her arms, and Jack gulped.

Jack sighed heavily and pressed his palms to his sockets. He looked at everyone over his hands. Jack might be able to convince the others, but Sally would have none of it, especially if she were spiraling into ridiculous and embarrassing threats. She was very reasonably worried.

"V-very well," he acquiesced, apparently not pleased about being bullied into agreeing.

"He's hopeless," the Mayor muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Well…" Zeldabourne snorted, "That's one way to do it."

Helgamine hit her with the bristles of her broom.

Sally gave a strained impish grin, and she and the others walked ahead of him toward the gate, stopping by the fountain to let the Gatekeeper drink the water and take a dip.

Jack frowned. Why was he letting them come? This was dangerous. He couldn't put them, especially Sally, into the dangers of the Real World. Humans don't take kindly to monsters on days they don't expect to see them.

Then he thought of how little time Anna had.

What has he done? This wouldn't have happened if he kept her close as he should have.

"Step one to stage a coup," the Mayor forced a joke as he walked beside Jack, "Get the King's lady to lead it."

Jack groaned.

His eyes drifted upward. "Please. Don't let _them_ near her. She doesn't deserve this," he pleaded.

"You really think He and they would answer?" the Mayor muttered.

Jack just looked ahead and frowned. "Someone else was missing from the meeting."

The Mayor's head was already on his unhappy face, but his frown deepened. "Who?!"

"Not Who. The Wind, it was unnaturally unspoken."

"They don't say much anyway…"

"Not to you. And they wouldn't hesitate to help in an emergency if they could help it. They've been around, but I haven't heard a single whisper from our dear element since they offered to guide Anna out of the woods."

"Wait. That long ago?" the Mayor shared Jack's concerned.

Jack nodded, and they walked unspeaking to the entrance of the graveyard.

"Hinterlands or Ghoul Gates, Jack?" the Gatekeeper asked.

"Hinterlands," Jack said immediately.

* * *

 _NO! It's a trap, Jack!_

 _Hush now. You wouldn't want to spoil our fun._

 _Release my voice!_

 _Can't do that. You serve the forces that came before you. The moment my sickening brothers come to take my hold on you from me, you take it up with them. But for now? I don't see them anywhere._

 _You angels._

 _Ah. Been a while since someone called me that little brother._

 _I am not your brother!_

 _No. You're a measly servant of this world. Bending to the rules of nature._

 _I have my place. I bow to the moon and tides. The trees and rain bow to me._

 _What I want to know is why you found such comradery with these broken souls. They are flecks of dust! You blow away such flecks yourself. You've leveled cities greater than this. You help the Enemy shape his creation, yet you bow to these worms?_

 _They listen to me! They hear me._

 _They can't hear your screams. Isn't it sad? These lesser beings you put above yourself, what can any of them do for you? You call one King! But he can't help you. And you only have power when we let you._

… _Fallen…_

 _You say it like an insult. Relax. I'll let you go soon. Then I'll stick around long enough to hear your pitiful attempts to beg Jack for forgiveness because the big bad demon didn't let you help little Annalise._

 _What are you going to do to her?_

 _Before we drag her to Hell or after?_

 _You're going to…You wouldn't…You have no power in the Holidays!_

 _Exactly. There's debt to pay._

 _No! I remember! You can't if she…_

 _Uh uh uh. What Anna doesn't know CAN hurt her. Especially if_ you _can't warn her._

… _I can be neither good nor evil. But I refuse to be apathetic to this…perverse manipulation._

 _Ha. Do you think I care how you feel? The only reason I'm speaking with you is that I'm bored at the moment._

 _Go to the Pit._

 _Been there. Done that._

* * *

 **Sorry this is so late everyone! I was having some trouble figuring out where this story needed to go. It originally was a much more simpler idea but it took on a life of its own and it's a lot more complicated than what I originally planned more than a year ago.**


	25. Chapter 25: Trees, Turkeys, Nightmares

**Hey hey! I'm alive! Here's the next chapter. And yes. I am well aware that several characters in my story share the same** _ **first**_ **name. James. There's three Jameses now. One's a human kid, one's a human that's been dead for 2000 years, and one's a zombie who can turn the happiest song into a funeral dirge. And now we have two Sarahs.**

* * *

Chapter 25

Trees, Turkeys, Nightmares

* * *

The Hinterlands have always been a little odd. They are sort of a No Man's Land. Neither completely part of one world or another, though still Halloween's land.

In Halloween Town, the citizens know the difference between the forest and the Hinterlands. The forest is relatively safe for them, a dark scary place where children could practice scaring each other and spellcasters can find herbs that grow no-where else. But if one were to keep walking, venturing deeper and deeper where they could no longer see the flickering orange lights of the Town, that's where things change. There's no distinct barrier between these trees and _those_. A wooden sign or written warning wouldn't help anyway. Trees are trees, it rarely matters where, and the Hinterlands are not bound by material limitations imposed by any beings.

Citizens can feel the unseen border between "Their forest" and " _The_ forest." There's an atmosphere, a warning shift in the air when the boundary is close or crossed. Most monsters avoid going into the Hinterlands entirely unless they need to. It's uncomfortable for them to feel like they are no longer in their homeland even if they still are and they might cross the boundary at any moment. It feels dangerous. And it is. Really. But it's about as dangerous to them as a Real World Forest would be to a human. Usually, someone will be fine with a little luck, preparation, and caution. Keyword: usually, which is kind of hard to pin down in Halloween Town.

But then come the Nightmares, physical representation of human terrors, that come from the minds of those who sleep. They are really just dreams that holiday spirits such as them can see, and sometimes interact with. In Christmas Town and the other Holiday's, they might simply be called Dreams.

But the ones in Halloween are not sweet. They are called Nightmares for a reason. It would do the reader no good to describe what these abstract creations look like. Misty shadows might be a good start, though very limited. Particularly strong ones tend to take a physical form that can be manipulated or spoken too, answering with the voice of the soul they torment and/or are connected to. They can be dangerous, and monsters often warn their children not to venture too deep into the Hinterlands and never go alone to the place where the Nightmares dwell. There's always the chance of accidentally manipulating a human for the worse.

That's why they had someone in charge of the nightmares. Someone to keep such things from happening.

Jack was rarely concerned for himself—he was scarier than any semi-sentient echoes. He trusted most of his citizens to not try communicating with nightmares without his or the Mayor's permission.

The other monsters were a little nervous, though. Nightmares could overwhelm them. They are chaotic. Pure human fear.

What do the physically, living (so to speak) representations of fear have to be afraid of?! How can creatures made of fear be _afraid_ of fear?

Humans are made of 60% water, but they can still drown, can they not?

Jack took Sally's hand and gently guided her closer as they walked.

"Where did she live again?" Helgamine asked as she kicked a small branch out of the twisting path.

"Some town in Washington," Zeldabourne supplied, remembering the news report Anna showed them in the cauldron.

The Gatekeeper alighted on another branch and looked down at the walkers. "The Capitol? No, silly me. You said town. The state of course." He jumped off and perched on the Mayor's hat.

"Yeomen," Jack said shortly, glancing around the wood. "That was the town, I believe."

Every Halloween, they open a portal to the Human realm with the power they had carefully built up all year round. Even in this situation, they couldn't risk opening one in the graveyard or the middle of town like normal, even if just for the six of them. If they opened one now, it would be too much strain and they'd be losing the next Halloween. Unacceptable. There wasn't even enough power yet anyway.

That left the Ghoul Gate and the Hinterlands.

The Ghoul Gates were singular graves in every graveyard in the world, all connected by powerful pathways that run like tunnels between space and time. Jack used one to get home quickly that one Christmas two years ago. But the Gates are fickle things. Hard to control and easy to get lost in. They didn't belong to Halloween either.

Also, on any other day of the year, only Jack was powerful enough to use Ghoul Gates. Bringing tag-alongs would be a very bad idea and no one needed Jack in a coma. The Gatekeeper mentioned them more as a courtesy really.

As the others spoke, Jack was quiet. He was busy concentrating. The Hinterlands acted like a space between the walls of a house. Neither really here nor there. Not part of one room or the other.

Supposedly, if they wandered long enough and concentrated, they might find themselves walking through the woods in Anna's old hometown, or any other forest in the world.

But they didn't have time or energy for that. It was a long time since someone had pulled off such a feat of travel.

He was looking for the doors.

"This way," he said suddenly, interrupted the conversation he wasn't even listening too.

The citizens followed, changing direction as he did.

Sally glanced up at the sky through the claw-like branches. It wasn't too late. The sun was still up, though not for very long. She didn't know how long it would take them to find Anna.

"How far, Jack?"

"Not far. This way," Jack said, changing direction again, his small feet making the dusty dirt come up in little puffs before it settled in the spirals. He couldn't help but notice the Wind was oddly still. Where was he?

The Mayor took up the back, struggling slightly to keep up, even as Jack measured his pace to not give those with shorter legs too much effort. The Mayor made sure he wasn't left behind but kept his attention mostly on their surroundings. He looked for shadows in the wrong place and things that moved when they shouldn't.

"I don't suppose the Turkey people will be very pleased with us," the Mayor mentioned.

"Nonsense. Governor Hale and Chief Squanto were very reasonable folk," Jack said with sudden optimism. He grimaced as he remembered something. "Though I suppose one of our own hijacking their holiday to get home wouldn't go across well with anyone."

The monsters grumbled awkwardly.

"Heh…Ah! Here's we are!" Jack announced, breaking them from their musings.

"Swamp Fire! _Would_ you look at that," the Gatekeeper said in excited awe as he flew from the Mayor's hat and darted from tree to tree to inspect each door in the small grove.

Sally turned around in the center, eyes flitting from one to another door in childlike wonder. She walked up to the oddly shaped red door with cards and strangely decorated boxes at the base of the tree. "Jack? Who's is this one?"

"Eh. That's Valentine's Day, Sally."

"Oh, I see. What's this symbol supposed to be?"

"St. Valentine described it as a heart…representing love."

They looked at the door in confusion.

"…" Sally stared, "But it looks nothing like a heart."

All Jack could do is shrug helplessly. "I don't know what to say. He seemed to struggle explaining it in a different way to me. The other Holidays seemed to understand at least."

"Jack…I think you need to see this…" the Mayor called, worry etched deep in his tone. His white face was speaking.

"Yes? What is…" Jack froze as he saw what the Mayor noticed above the Thanksgiving's door. "Oh my…"

As the others stopped gawking and joined the two, they saw the deep gashes scratched above the Holiday Door and across the Turkey's face.

"What in Halloween? Who would do such a terrible thing?" the Pumpkin King said as he carefully touched the gashes across the turkey's long neck.

Helgamine started as she reached forward to pull out a piece of cloth that was wedged in the closed door.

"That's from Anna's jacket," Sally said, taking the fabric.

"Claw marks? Anna doesn't have claws like these," Zeldabourne said curiously as she studied the gashes, trying to place them to someone she knew. "Frightful…"

"Glen? The Wendigoes? Rake?" Helgamine suggested, knowing those were ridiculous ideas. "Freddy?"

The Gatekeeper just stared on silently.

"It wasn't any of them. They have no reason," Jack said, his voice taking on a sudden marked calmness. He took Sally's hand again, and they all shifted marginally away from the door.

There's something else that's a little funny about Halloween Citizens.

That feeling humans have when they sense someone watching them? Halloween Citizens have those too, sometimes.

And someone they couldn't sense properly was definitely watching them.

Don't try sneaking up on a Halloween monster. It's a terrible idea.

Unlike the victims in horror movies, monsters knew to look up occasionally.

Even Sally, with her relatively less experience, knew not to show any fear at the sight that greeted them as they looked.

A large black cloud of smoke with the vague shape of a snake stared down at them from its place wrapped around the tree high above them. It wasn't there moments ago. Its eyes were a sickly cloudy yellow. At first glance, it resembled a nightmare in a dark smoke form, but there was too much intelligence in its eyes and its shape was too defined.

None of them liked the aura they could now sense from this creature. It was evil. Not part of Halloween.

Unlike Jack, they weren't expecting it to speak.

"Looking good, _Jacky._ Though you seem a little thin. How's your health?" The creature said, its voice far smoother than expected.

Jack glared at the creature silently, overlooking the worried confusion from his friends.

"What about family? I see you got yourself a lovely doll here. Detachable limbs on both of you. _That's_ fun."

"You dare speak such way, demon?" Jack snarled as Sally and the others glared at the stranger in disgust.

Jack could take whatever lies it prodded him with, but refused to let it speak rudely of Sally.

Sally let go of Jack's hand and stepped a little behind the witches who had magic brewing at the tips of their fingers.

"Ah, I see you brought along a couple more broken little _maggots_. Allow me to introduce myself…"

"I know who you are and what you've done. Where's Anna?" Sally said sternly.

"And the rest of us don't need to know, nor do we care. Where's the girl?" Nevermore said. He wasn't inclined to listen to anyone who spoke so hatefully of them and got in the way of them helping his friend.

The demon looked miffed, as much as an expressionless cloud of smoke could, though he was mildly impressed a coward like Jack would tell his lover their little story. "Insolent little…"

"You have no power here," Jack interrupted, tiny flickers of the fire he hated using twisting around his fingers. "You can't touch anyone or anything in _my_ world." He decided not to mention how the creature shouldn't even be in this world in the first place.

"True. But these woods aren't completely yours, are they? How else would I be here? Still, I'll admit it's taking a lot not to get blasted out of this form. The claws are a nice touch though." It slithered down to Jack's eye level, blocking them from the door. "My my. This kid I'm wearing indeed has a dark mind. I mean, they dreamed up this form just for me. How sweet. And hilarious. Possession has its perks if you're creative."

"What did you do?" Jack demanded.

"You know? It's rather interesting that skeleton folk can still bleed," it said, ignoring Jack, "Marrow and such."

The creature mockingly scratched into the bark so that they could see the blood and odd clear liquid that stained its dark claws.

"Little Anne needs to learn not to turn her back on danger. Can you imagine someone _ripping your spine to pieces?"_

Jack's voice took on an eerie chill. "That was a mistake."

"What? _Hurting your dear gra…"_

"No. _Telling me_ you did _,"_ Jack cut in.

Seconds later, the demon got a face full of point-blank searing hellfire.

The demon swore and screeched as it fell out of the tree, a nasty sizzling sound heard.

He wasn't blocking the door anymore.

"Hurry!" Jack hissed as the smoke tried to circle back, rattling threateningly.

The Mayor yanked the door open and didn't give himself time to hesitate at the dark hole.

Zeldabourne went first, eyes darting at the fight as the Mayor helped her over the edge. She dropped.

Sally couldn't tear her eyes away from Jack, who was continuously side-stepping to keep himself between them and the demon.

Jack rarely ever fought unless he needed to, and he never was rough or rose a hand against anyone unless there was an immediate danger. Even when a monster did something against the rules or was unspeakably nasty, Jack would spend hours alone with the citizen, speaking with them and negotiating a discipline. And he was always fair. It wasn't unheard of to be banned from participating in Halloween a couple years if someone did something especially unacceptable. That was one of the worse punishments, and no one had been given such a sentence in her afterlifetime. She couldn't imagine anyone being _not allowed_ to participate in Halloween. It was in their very being! Being deprived of that…

There was also banishment in various severities and imprisonment in the dungeon.

Zeldabourne once agreed to be locked in the dungeon for months because she broke a human's leg in anger. It was a blow to her next Halloween, and others had to pick up her slack to help Helgamine.

Jack held monsters responsible, but never wanted someone hurt. He was never violent unless he had to be.

Oogie proved that.

The Pumpkin King's fire was blazing from his hands, his sockets narrowed. He didn't crouch defensively, but stood straight and regal, staring down the creature defiantly as flames harmlessly licked his hands.

The demon's eyes flashed, and Jack was suddenly thrown across the clearing, smacking into the U.S. Independence Day tree.

"Jack!" Sally gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

The demon's eyes snapped toward her.

She stiffened.

The creature grinned.

"SCCREAAAWW," Nevermore screeched as he divebombed the creature, talons swiping at its eyes.

The Wind took the demon's distraction as an opportunity to help, mustering up as much strength as he could in the demon's loosened grip.

There was a sudden gust of wind as it pushed Sally back, practically throwing her down the hole in the tree.

She must have blacked out for a second.

Sally did breathe despite not really being alive in the natural sense. She was stuffed with leaves, so there was plenty of space for air after all. She had taken her fair share of falls without any problem. But she was never worried about anyone else when she fell. That seemed to make getting her "breath" knocked out as she landed in a tall pile of autumn leaves hurt more than it should have.

As stunned as she was, she pushed herself to stand and looked around frantically.

The monsters coughed from the surprisingly jarring landing, despite landing in a ridiculously thick blanket of leaves.

They stood and brushed the dirt and dry leaves from their costumes.

"What in Halloween was _that?"_ the Gatekeeper cawed, shaking his plumage. He inspected a couple of lightly singed feathers. He could still fly so it wasn't too serious. He had dived in after Sally and gotten clipped by Jack throwing fire at the furious demon that was right on his tail.

"Where's Jack?!" Sally demanded.

"Right behind me," the Mayor groaned.

"What?! You left him with that…."

"Sally, he's coming," the Mayor assured. "He's more than capable to handle a…" The Mayor was interrupted by shouting.

Wind kicked up, tasting like magic and blowing autumn leaves…and…feathers… everywhere in a cyclone, blocking their vision briefly. It wasn't _their_ Wind, it was the magic. Their Wind was silent again.

They didn't see Jack fall, but they looked to see Jack sit up as the leaves settled, spitting out a leaf from his jaw. He shook his skull and stood up.

"Jack!" Sally hugged him by the neck, almost pulling him down. Tears pricked at her eyes.

Jack blinked at her and smiled in relief, bending down slightly to comfort his lady friend as she kept her face in his coat and tried not to cry. "Is everyone alright?" he said worriedly. He looked at Nevermore apologetically.

"Nevermind us! What in bloody Halloween was that?!"

Jack flinched—FLINCHED—at the tone in Helgamine's voice.

"That was the reason I didn't want you to come with me," he said, "That demon will attempt to bother us for a good while."

"Why?! And what did you do to it?"

"The Wind and I hurt it enough to make it retreat."

"The Wind? Where the heck has _he_ been?!"

"I don't think our friend had a choice in the matter. The good news is that the demon is injured enough that trying to possess a Nightmare again to exist in the Holidays will kill it, so we're safe. For now." The skeleton's expression clouded over in concern.

"It did what?" Nevermore looked so lost.

"Did you notice the smoke? It was here by using a human's nightmare," Jack explained. "It can't exist here itself. Impossible. It needed the nightmare to anchor it to our world and keep it connected to the Real World. The bad news is that with it in the Real World, we might run into him while looking for Anna."

"Impossible. Haddiela wouldn't let something take a Nightmare from them, much less let a demon touch them," the Mayor fretted.

Jack nodded, "I know. I hope they're alright."

"If _that_ got to Heddiela…If it's in the fields…!" Helgamine rarely felt panic. Slow terror was usually her favorite. But this was…this was deadly…to Halloween and everyone. Nightmares were often their only real connection with the Real World besides Halloween Night. So _soooo_ many of them—friends, family— _needed_ nightmares to even exist or else they would fade away, forgotten and gone forever.

Undeads were powerful enough to survive being forgotten or unknown (former human souls as they were). Monsters born in Halloween could too, but with limitations. Hollows. Halloween-Born. Eve-Born. Moorchildren. Take your pick. There are many things to call them. But Legends…Legends need their stories. They need to be remembered, or else…

"One thing at a time." Jack shook his head. "Mayor..."

"Yes, Jack."

"You need to go back home," Jack said quickly. "Check the field. Make sure all is well with the nightmares and make sure no other demons get past Haddiela. We _have_ to find Anna, so the rest of us will go ahead."

The Mayor looked mildly relieved that he didn't have to go to the Real World. But he still was displeased.

After a moment he nodded. He wasn't abandoning them, and he had a duty back home.

"Of course. Bring her home." He knew very little about Jack's secret, but this was shaping up to be far worse than he ever anticipated if _demons_ were willing to break into Halloween Town. Jack said to keep an eye on the Hinterlands weeks ago, but he didn't know if Jack expected _this_ to happen.

"I've never seen a Real World demon before…" Zeldabourne muttered. She wasn't particularly used to new things, but recently the universe seemed to like throwing new things at them. Rather viciously too.

There was the faint rustle of leaves, and the monsters noticed a figure approaching, trying to be discreet. They didn't turn towards the person, and their conversation trailed off abruptly. The stranger seemed to think they couldn't see her.

The person, a girl, stopped behind them, hidden by a molting tree, and watched the strange looking creatures talk. They seemed to be whispering.

"Hello," they all said in creepy synchronization. They would discuss the "coincidence" of Anna leaving and a demon invading their home at another time.

Jack wasn't looking forward to that.

Little Braid stiffened as the obviously Halloween Citizens turned to look at her. They were not even surprised that the Thanksgiving Citizen was standing there.

"Are you the King of Halloween?" she said, a small distrustful scowl on her oddly human face. She flipped her braid over her other shoulder and stared at them. She dug her moccasin into the dirt and refused to come any closer.

"Ah, hello there. Yes. I'm Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King," Jack said, coming closer and giving the teen a polite nod. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Little Braid of Thanksgiving," she answered, stepping back and away from the tree a little. She craned her neck to look _very far_ up at him and kept a defiantly, fear-free expression.

"I take it you were expecting us?" the Mayor spoke up. Why else would someone walk up to them?

Little Braid took a long moment to study them critically before she answered with a guarded tone. "Yes. The Chief and Governor had to leave with everyone else for our Holiday. They assigned me to wait here for you and help you. They took…um…the other skele-Anna! They took Miss Anna with them."

She seemed relieved to have remembered the skeleton girl's name. "She stayed here for a while and ate with us at our Feast. She explained what she was doing, and the leaders agreed to help her."

"What did she tell you?" Helgamine said cautiously.

The girl gave a small smile. "She was very clear that I should tell you nothing was your fault should you come after her and that this is her choice. She said you all have been wonderful…she told me to use the word 'horrible' for some reason…and that you shouldn't follow her any further."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Jack said seriously. "I…we need to bring her home." This was a calmer welcome than he was expecting and he suspected Anna was to blame.

"Why?" Little Braid said politely, still without an ounce of terror on her face despite the itching instinct to run. But they won't hurt her. Anna said they wouldn't hurt her.

"She's in danger," Jack said quickly, belaying his decision to try coming across as non-threatening as he gave the girl an almost warning look, hoping this stranger wouldn't pry further.

For a girl who couldn't be expected to know how to read a skeleton's expressions, Little Braid could tell that the subject was one she shouldn't touch.

She didn't care.

She had her reasons for not caring.

"Quite frankly, _sir,_ if I may be so bold," she said, imitating the proper manners of speech the older people of her town spoke with, "I only had an hour or so to get to know Anna, so I can't pretend to really know her, but I'm not so sure you know her very well either." She crossed her arms defiantly. "It's rather sad given how she's one of your own kind."

Jack and the others glared at the young female, though the age someone looks should always be taken with a grain of salt.

"Watch your tongue, girly," Helgamine hissed before Jack put out a bony arm to stop her from doing anything rash.

"Why do you say so?" Jack asked. "A moment ago, you struggled to remember her name."

Little Braid frowned and eyed Helgamine. "I've never been very good with names, but I'm good with people."

Zeldabourne scoffed, and Sally nudged her.

"Follow me," the Thanksgiving spirit said as she turned on her heel and marched away, "I'll take you to our Gate for the year and you can go looking for her. But don't expect us to keep it open for you. We close it at midnight no matter what time zone you're in."

They paused for a moment, and Jack nodded to the Mayor.

The Mayor tipped his hat and turned back to search for their Jack-o-Lantern holiday door.

The rest of them followed "Little Braid." What an odd name.

"Ms. Braid, you didn't answer me. Why do you say we don't know her?"

"She said that she came to your town on your day nearly a month ago and yet none of you bothered to notice her torment. Rather shoddy work for creatures which my parents told me are supposed to be all about fear."

"You assume a lot," Zeldabourne muttered crossly, put off by someone blunter than her. The girl wasn't just blunt, she was plain _rude_. And arrogant.

Jack, always the peacekeeper, spoke politely while walking at a distance so not to tower over the stranger, "She told you this?" The skeleton tilted his head in attempts to catch the Thanksgiving Citizen's eyes.

There.

The Thanksgiving Citizen stuttered slightly in her answer, her mask of fearlessness cracking. "W-well no…But the way people act says a lot." She was already refusing to even look at them, and glancing at Jack's sockets on accident seemed to frighten her more.

The citizens of Halloween shared a glance.

"Forgive me for overstepping bounds, we are guests after all, but would you care to _enlighten_ us?" Jack said diplomatically. "What happened when Anna came to..er…your _home_?"

"We uh…had a little misunderstanding," Little Braid mumbled sheepishly.

* * *

"Wait I didn't…" Anna shrieked and ducked as an arrow flew her direction and buried itself deep in the tree behind her.

"Run!" said Jasper, darting past her as Zero yelped and pulled at Anna's torn sleeve.

Anna did just that, too panicked to notice she wasn't still being shot at. She was out of sight in seconds, not sure what direction she was running.

Someone yanked down the bow of the young man who shot that arrow.

"Richard! What were you thinking?!" an older man said.

"C-chief, didn't you see…"

"Yes, I saw."

"We did." This time a white woman spoke, adjusting her gun that rested on her shoulder. "We _all_ did. And I did _not_ hear anyone give you permission to shoot at them."

The other adults, both men and women, looked confused and concerned but agreed with the woman, Sarah.

"Yes. Sorry ma'am," the older teen said sheepishly. "B-but…the kids…"

"They were screaming because they don't know what it was…" the older man said before turning to the rest of the hunting party that Little Braid and her friends had run pass in terror.

They had barely taken a moment to babble and point in Anna's direction before the adults sent them back to town. That was before the Chief and the Governor saw the creature that scared the teens so badly.

"We'll split up. Find it. Leave your weapons at home and let the creature know we don't mean it harm. Figure out what it's doing here. _Quickly._ "

"Half of you will follow me to do that," the Governor said, picking up where the Chief stopped. "The other half will continue on with the Chief and finish the hunt. We still have a job to do and a Holiday to finish. We are _not_ slacking this year. Not now. Not ever."

"Governor…but…that _creature_ … _what_ is it?!"

"Not what. Who. That was a Halloween Citizen."

"What?"

"Chief?!"

"I should go home… my children…" someone said.

"They're safe," the Chief assured.

"I doubt she'll hurt anyone…she seemed rather…preoccupied," the Governor added.

"But… _Halloween…_ th-they're _devil worshipers!"_

"None of that. I'll explain later. We've met their King Jack, and while he's a rather…distractable creature, he's not evil. His heart's in the right place."

Sarah snorted, "If he had a heart."

"They took over Christmas. What if they're planning…"

"That's what we'll find out. Now quit fretting, friends," the Chief interrupted patiently, "Now, we're wasting time discussing this."

There were accepting, if leery, but they nodded and the group split.

The Governor's group didn't go far before they ran into Little Braid who had been hiding behind a tree listening.

Sarah sighed. "Eavesdropping isn't polite, dear."

Little Braid's father gave his daughter a look. She should have gone ahead home with the rest of her pals.

"That was a Halloween spirit?" The girl said, not even acknowledging her father.

"Yes."

"They aren't what I was expecting…."

"And what exactly, were you expecting," the Governor asked.

"I don't know…covered in blood, sharp teeth, horns?" She glared defensively. If that creature tried anything… She wasn't quite sure she believed what the Chief and Governor said about Halloween spirits being not evil.

As the smaller group started their search, Anna began to realize that taking off without paying attention to where she was going was a bad idea. She stumbled out of a bush, the brambles leaving tiny stinging scratches on her hard bones.

She had lost track of Jasper and Zero too.

There was the back of a small cottage right in front of her, and she darted to press herself against the back wall as the sounds of chattering approached.

She had meant to run _away_ from people, not toward their town. Whatever. She needed to find what she came for. Now would be a nice time to know just _how_ holidays actually worked. Do beings even actually leave? Is there a portal? Do they teleport?

"Maybe I didn't quite think this through," the skeleton muttered. She ran her hand down her face in exasperation at herself. If she would just take a moment to act like her old self—critical, logical, not crazy—then maybe she could get something done. Fear wasn't making it easy. She might as well be a different person.

Still, _they shot at her_. Why?! How else was she supposed to react at that?

"Hello? Who's there?"

Someone turned the corner to look behind the house but only saw empty space.

"Anything, Persistence?"

The Pilgrim shook his head at his friend in the street and moved on.

It was a village looking town with houses made of various materials and styles from differents eras of early American history. There wasn't a wall surrounding the town and the streets seemed to branch out from a circular center. Houses were close enough together that jumping across rooftops was easy, especially for someone with long legs.

Anna jumped and crawled across rooftops, many of them log cabins, stone cabins, and peat huts. It was easier than she expected. All those embarrassing lessons in the graveyard weren't useless. No one seemed to notice her. Where were the cat and dog?! They would know what to do.

 _CRASH!_

Anna shouted as she misjudged how much weight a _thatched_ roof could hold. And she really wasn't very heavy being just bones, hair, and clothing.

She had heard snapping sounds moments before the roof gave in and the next thing she knew someone, not her for once, was screaming.

She blinked at the Native American woman before scrambling to her feet and stumbling out the door as pots were thrown her way.

"Sorry! I…oof!" She immediately ran into something large and oddly soft.

A turkey.

She ran into a turkey…wearing clothes…and a hat with a buckle…

It was a giant turkey… though she still towered over it.

A…turkey. Probably not the kind you eat. Maybe?

 _Turkey_.

"Gobble-bird" as she taught James and Jillian to say until they were nine.

 _Sorry…What!?_

They stared at each other for about three seconds before they both screamed bloody murder and pushed each other away.

"AAAAAAHHH! MONSTER!"

"CRAPITSPEAKS!" Anna freaked out, tripping over a pot and scrambling away, realizing she was in the middle of the road and lots of people were staring at her, some in confusion, others in terror.

Well, how would you react at seeing a talking "living" skeleton?

Anna somehow got to her feet again and took off, darting around people too shocked at seeing something that looked dangerous in their world to understand that it was suitable to get out of the way of something you're afraid of. Fear really wasn't their thing.

She didn't know where on earth (or not) she was going and looked with wide sockets as she frantically searched for escape and a hiding place from the fearful crowd. A part of her was trying to tell her that she needed to calm down.

Anna was a lot faster when she ran than she thought she was.

"Wait! Look ou-!"

Annalise Grisholme, too bursting with panic to think straight, apparently didn't remember that when someone yells at you to "look out" you're supposed to look where you are going, so as to avoid the danger someone is so kindly warning you of.

You are not supposed to look behind you to see just _who_ is yelling at you.

As Anna crashed headfirst into a _giant-and-impossible-to-miss-tree_ in the middle of Thanksgiving Town Square, the impact jarred a few ruby red leaves loose from the old maple's branches.

Before she knocked herself out, at least Anna learned that the girl who was yelling at her was the girl who poked her in the eye with a stick.

Little Braid winced and peeked out between her fingers as the adults caught up. "Ouch…"

 _This_ was a Halloween Citizen?

Out of sight and a street away Jasper paused in complaining about Anna not following him and Zero.

Both animals perked up.

"Did someone drop a xylophone?" the black cat asked.

* * *

 **By the way, if you haven't read** _ **Tricked Out**_ **by Aria of Life, you should really go over there and read it. And Follow it. Seriously. It's a great story, and you'll thank me later. Aria is really cool and a good writer. If you must know, a girl named Ivy, who's German, likes to skateboard, and is maybe too curious for her own good, ends up falling into Halloween Town and she's trapped there with folks who aren't quite sure what to do with a human. Aria is really good with world building too-you'll get pulled in.** _ **Trust me.**_ **Seriously. Follow and favorite her story** _ **and**_ **mine. Follow** _ **. Right Now!**_

 **Chapter 18 is the most recent chapter at the time I posted this, so if you're a new reader, you'll have to go back to Chapter 1. DO NOT READ AHEAD! What kind of person** _ **wants**_ **to ruin their enjoyment of epic reveals like that? Spoilers, people…**


	26. Chapter 26: Generations

**Hello. How are you all doing? I'm so sorry this chapter is so ridiculously late. I'm am almost two months behind for Halloween's sake! At least this chapter is** _ **really long. 10,136 words and twenty-four pages.**_ **Longest chapter yet…** _ **I'm actually really sorry this chapter is so long.**_ **I wanted to cut it into 2 but I figured that it would mess up the flow. (Even though I like cliffhangers) Technically I could trim it down a lot, but I suspect we would lose a lot of important detail. Please Read and Review, especially since this is such a heavy chapter and I'm simultaneously hyped and anxious about it (the length being a big thing).**

 **Also, I start college to study Animation in literally 4 weeks! For someone who writes so much, I need to figure out how to put some of this energy into drawing! Oh, and here's something cool. Last week I met a producer for Disney Broadway. Cool guy. Anyway, I asked him for some advice for an animation student from a Disney higher up. He told me that if I want to get to know someone famous then I need to figure out what they like that has nothing to do with work and get into that subject. He** _ **really**_ **wanted to meet one of the directors that if I said who, 80% of you would know who I'm talking about if you like Pixar. The director liked trains so my guy went and studied trains and wrote a book. Then he got an email one day through work from the director saying, "HEY! I heard your writing a book about trains! THAT'S SO COOL! Can I write the introduction?" I'm paraphrasing of course. Now they're friends.**

 **In response to my story, my dad said, "That cool but you have to find out what they like somehow and write a whole book."**

 **Dad, don't underestimate my fanfiction skills. Not only can I study a character that isn't mine with "enough" accuracy to reasonable guess what they would and wouldn't like, but I can crank out 140,000 words and not even be a fourth of the way through the book.**

 **Reminder: Read and Review please.**

 **Ps.( Added after I published this chapter) Who the heck is that one reader from Canada who somehow manages to be one of the first readers of a new chapter literally almost seconds after I post it? Seriously. I literally (not misusing the word) check the stats minutes later and BOOM! Someone from Canada is already reading. You're awesome.**

* * *

Chapter 26

Generations

* * *

Many many years ago, long before the candy and the frights and the graveyard dances, Jack glanced down at the strange creature that rested her head on his lap as she slept fitfully.

He didn't know much about her, not even her name. She was certainly not human, he wasn't sure how many times he needed to remind himself of that fact, but he wasn't entirely sure she was dead despite the damning evidence contrary. She was young, but not so young that she wouldn't likely be married already if she was from this village. Or at least betrothed.

He briefly wondered if they still had dowries in the future.

The skeleton snickered without a sound and clicked his half rotten away teeth together as if to bite the inside of a non-existent cheek in amusement. Look at him. He actually believed the girl was from the future.

In hindsight, it was bothering him how accepting he had been of her claim, bar the obvious preliminary disbelief.

Why was he growing so…?

Hmm. Caring wasn't the right word…neither was fond….

Interested? Intrigued? Perhaps a word a little stronger than _those._

Nostalgic and…trusting.

He straightened slightly, his spine creaking from hours of stillness. Those words seemed too strong and yet…

Fifteen years. Over fifteen damn years without a proper conversation. Fifteen years where it was often a coin toss to whether he would go another six months without coming across someone who could see him and wouldn't run away. Usually, the souls who managed both were tortured dead that he found upon stumbling on their grave. They wanted peace, or maybe justice, and he could only offer companionship and a promise to return when he came back that way, however long that may be.

Oh, he wished he could help them, but those who he really wanted to help were too weak to find their way through the veil that Jack discovered weakened on Samhain.

That left the others. They didn't run away from him Why should they? He would much rather run away from those monsters than face them. Some were ghosts so consumed by their anger and hatred that they could break the bonds that held them to their bones or haunts on this earth and wreak havoc on the living, for a night at least.

Jack didn't like those souls, though a large part of him felt pity and wondered if there was any peace or place for them. He had tried to help them…But what could he really do?

Whether it was the anguished or the angered, or other creatures like Fae or Trolls or Goblins, Jack could never say he had allies.

He was an anomaly among the dead if such a thing was possible. He was cursed with immortal death, yet forced to wander alone without being chained to one place or people? Or purpose?

Then there was _this_ young womanl. When he first found her, he thought Fae. They were annoying, tricky beasts and he wanted nothing to do with them. Then he assumed ghost, but she was able to follow him far from where he supposed her grave might be, something a typical ghost couldn't do.

He still didn't believe she was _like him,_ as she claimed. Well, she didn't claim to be cursed like him, she just claimed to be a _skeleton, of all things._

It was funny, but he never considered himself a skeleton first, rather a man who was cursed to be an image of death as a reminder. Some days he caught his reflection in the water and didn't recognize the rounded white bone and empty sockets staring back.

This girl.

What kind of person makes a creature like him instinctively trust them when he hasn't even spoken on even terms with someone in fifteen years? He didn't know. All he knew is that this charred, slimy, bleeding youngster, with her strange words and accent and annoying tendency to follow him in silence for weeks without realizing, was someone he could trust.

Maybe not so much with his own life, or rather lack of, but in such a way that he knew he could trust her to let him take care of her life. He knew she could trust _him_ with her own life. What a backward thought.

She hadn't even _done anything_ to make him feel obligated in such a way! And it drove him crazy. He didn't like being out of control like that without understanding _why._ All she did was talk and slowly burn away and keel over at random moments! Probably the most useless companion he could be granted, though he really shouldn't complain given the circumstances.

As for the nostalgia…that was even harder to nail down. He didn't like thinking about his childhood, what little he had of one.

Somehow, the teen reminded him of himself. What a trite thing to realize. He saw it in the way she tried to bounce in her steps, despite being in extreme pain. He saw it in the way she smiled and focused on him when she listened and how she watched his reactions as she talked. The sheer…curiosity and joy she had in her eyes reminded him of younger days before everything went wrong with his life.

Most of all, and this was the part that made him _loathe_ her in a twisted bout of self-hate, she had the same lost look in her eyes before those very eyes disappeared and left deep bloody sockets. She had the same look like him so long ago. Even without eyes, it was like her soul was screaming for…what? A home? A place of acceptance? She couldn't even tell him where she thought home was, honestly at least.

She was looking for somewhere to belong, and apparently, she hadn't found it yet. Or she wasn't sure she had. So instead, it was like she was chasing smoke when she already knew there wasn't any fire.

He grimaced at his own analogy.

That was what he gathered at least, listening to her rant at him and talk about "going home."

That was another curiosity, one that he forced himself to brush off before.

She was angry with _him_. And not even him properly, but a future version of him. That thought terrified and interested him simultaneously, and he really wasn't sure if that was good. He made his skull tear apart just thinking about it. What had he done to deserve her anger? Be an arse apparently.

Will he be unwelcoming to a girl he saw so much of his lost, lonely youth in? He didn't know what kind of person he would be or what about him would change for him to be hostile to this creature. Today, he would never be like that, maybe, if he was in a good mood. But what changes between Today and Tomorrow?

Night had fallen, and the lamps and candles that illuminated the inside of his son's dwelling were put out long ago.

Jamie didn't leave his wife's side for much. One of the elderly women who was helping keep the pregnant Mira comfortable practically had to force the young man to eat.

Jack knew what his son was feeling. It may have been many years, but he remembered the sleepless nights as Jamie's mother and infant sister were ill. Evelyn, his oldest, was the strength in those days. He dearly hoped history wouldn't repeat itself. Both he and his son had lost almost every woman in their lives. And they had lost each other, despite Jack's secret visits.

Jack stayed away from his son as much as he could. He wasn't part of Jamie's life anymore. He knew that, he just…

He hadn't nothing. Jack had nothing. Being forced to walk the Earth with nothing but whatever was left of his sense of self and the rocks beneath his feet was enough to drive him insane. The only thing that kept his mind in manageable pieces was that toward the end of harvest time he managed to pull himself out of self-pity to return to the village.

It wasn't that something kept him from the village the rest of the year. He was simply always a restless soul. With nothing to do but watch his son live on without him, he could never feel at home anywhere. But during the end of Harvest, the Samhain festival, the world seemed just a little more open to him. He could touch this world, and if he wasn't careful, Jamie could see him. He never let that happen though. He had to be especially careful with the veil between the living and the dead as thin as it was. Other spirits came, but he rarely consorted with them. They were often the angry one's looking for a release of their pain.

Jack came to the village to keep them from harming people as best he could. It was the least he could do. There were some that specifically came for spiteful reasons because Jack had defied them and interrupted their annual mischief, but Jack was stronger than them.

He hadn't seen any of those yet.

The spirit girl shifted.

"Besides ye," Jack muttered.

She shifted again. It couldn't be comfortable, he knew. He was a skeleton. He didn't exactly have a lap, to begin with.

Her eyeless eyes shot "open" as well as they could, and she groaned, putting a slick skeletal hand to her forehead in pain.

He helped her as she sat up with winces and sharp gasps of pain.

She really was a disgusting sight. There really wasn't any kinder way to put it. Oozing wounds and blistering charred patches of skin covered her entire body. None of it seemed to be healing either. Some of her remaining hair was pulled out and left in clumps on his clothes as she lifted her head. Her once white dress was oddly mostly intact, obviously through supernatural means, though it was darkened by soot and decaying in many places.

"Are ye alright?" he asked. What a foolish question to ask. He ignored that protesting chatter that snapped at him for even caring.

She flinched as though his voice was a knife. "I just ran into a tree."

He opened his jaw to argue before shaking his head in exasperation.

The future.

He was tempted to ask what the world this strange girl came from was like. Nothing was actually stopping him, but he felt the girl wasn't trusting enough of him about such matters, so he curbed his curiosity.

She stared at the ground for a moment.

"I'm going back to Washington," she said, with forced casualty.

The skeleton held her shoulder for a moment longer until he was sure she wouldn't tip like a poorly made chair.

"Why?"

"They need me."

"Who?"

"My.. my sister," she whispered. "She's blaming herself and getting herself hurt."

Jack frowned, "How do ye know such a thing?"

"I just do, ok," she snapped at him, clenching her fists tight.

Jack raised a brow but said nothing.

They sat in silence for a long while, the moon steadily climbing in the night sky and the insects singing their song in the darkness. It would be morning soon.

Anna didn't wish to talk. This was getting annoying. Not necessarily these dreams, but the fact that she was being knocked out every time. Falling asleep didn't actually send her here unless it was from acute exhaustion or she fainted. She could feel the ache on her forehead that she knew sent her here. Stupid fear, making her run into things.

"What…"

Anna flinched at his voice. _His_ voice. She didn't care if this Jack was blameless for the behavior of his future self. It still stung to remember what he said.

" _You shouldn't be here."_

 _Wait…_

She hadn't thought much about that incident, except to agonize over her own actions and be angry at Jack for what he did. Actually, what he did and didn't do. But…something bothered her about the way Jack said that phrase now that she had the quiet air to help her think. He had sounded…apologetic…not accusing.

Jack continued, ignorant of Anna's thoughtful and confused reaction. "What does you sister blame herself for?"

"My death. She shouldn't though."

Jack turned to stare.

"What?"

The skeleton blinked at her.

Anna looked at him. "I didn't tell you how I died did I?"

Jack shook his head.

In her defense, the same force that kept her from saying her name wouldn't have let her tell Jack how she died anyway.

But neither of them got the chance to discover this as the door next to them suddenly swung open and the lights from inside James' house were lit as a cry startled them.

Jack jerked back to avoid his arm being broken by the force by which his son burst outside.

As James frantically ran down the street, one of the women, a younger lady called after him.

"Hurry James!" As if she really needed to say that.

"What's wrong?" Anna said in concern, using Jack's thin, bony arm to pull herself up as both she and Jack went inside. They both kept to the walls to avoid being run over.

She leaned around Jack to see, his raggedy cloak getting in the way as he made her press against the wall behind him.

Mira didn't look too good. The pregnant lady was gasping and holding her midsection as one of the other women helped her sit up against the wall. The bed was wet, and another woman was busy bustling about getting ready.

"Oh," Anna whispered.

Anna remembered, barely, how her mother had been when Thim went into labor with the twins. She remembered a very long wait with her nervous father. It was her mom's first time giving birth, and with twins and a history of miscarriages, everyone was a little jumpy.

Of course, Anna didn't understand that at the time. She did remember that this was a time before her disease completely destroyed her sense of fear. That time of her life was one of the last times she remembered having an inkling of fear while she was alive. Would she be wanted anymore? She had already learned that she was adopted by then, and she understood it meant her mommy didn't go through pain like that to bring her into the family. These babies were different than Anna.

That was a long time ago. She got over that ridiculous fear against her will. She loved her family and her siblings, and they loved her.

Jack had mentioned his son and daughter-in-law's baby was due any day, but somehow the thought hadn't registered with Anna until then.

Mira was so thin and weak that her swollen belly didn't seem noticeable under the rough wool blankets.

She was sweating and crying.

"Where's Jamie?" she gasped in a voice that broke Anna's heart.

"He's coming dear. Just breathe. Count with me alright?"

Jack knew he should've just turned around and dragged the spirit girl out with him the second he realized what was happening but then the look in poor Mira's eyes broke him, and he couldn't look away.

Anna was busy watching the woman in worry, not grossed out at all. Her eyes wandered up to Mira's sweat slicked face and sunken eyes. She froze.

Mira was looking at her.

The girls stared at each other for a short moment, Anna too shocked at realizing Mira wasn't simply looking behind and through Anna at the door waiting for James and the doctor.

Then, Mira's feverish mind touched the deepest recesses of her survival instinct, and she started screaming at the two creatures in the house.

"Death! Death! Begone! They've come for me! Jamie! Keep them away!"

"Mira, please! Calm down!" the woman by Mira's bedside pleaded in fear at the young lady's sudden hysterics.

Anna breathed sharply and tried to go forward to show Mira she wasn't dangerous but Jack suddenly grabbed her arms and bodily lifted back as James and the healer appeared. Their timing couldn't be apter.

Anna started spouting off questions as Jack dragged her through the door and outside, almost throwing her.

Mira continued to scream as she saw the bloody girl with missing eyes and the dry, dead skeleton leave. Her mind unable to formulate the distinction between what she saw and reality in her sickness, she couldn't understand why Jamie didn't chase the creatures away from her and the child. And they didn't leave! They were outside!

"Jamie Jamie make them leave!" she pleaded in tears.

"Shhh. Shh. I'm here, love," James whispered, grasping her hand even at the insistence of the midwife that he and the healer needed to leave. "Make who leave, my dearest friend?"

"The banshee and the fershee! They've come for the babe and me!" Mira sobbed and gripped at James tightly even as another contraction hit. "Death omens! They'll scream. Don't let them scream!"

Anna rambled frantically as she tried to get her thoughts in order outside. "She could see us! Why couldn't she see us before? Why can she see us now? Is she okay? I thought the baby wasn't due for a few more days?"

"Silence!" Jack held her shoulders and shook her harshly.

Anna shut up and looked at Jack's sockets wide-eyed.

The skeleton removed his hands. "I apologize." He shook his head and stepped back, glancing at his skeletal hands.

Anna followed him out of sight from the open door, casting one last painful glance at Mira.

"She's dying." Jack turned away and started walking toward the bench.

Anna straightened and hissed at him, forcing through the pain of her burns to run in front to cut him off. "What?!"

"She can see us because she'll soon join us," Jack said, looking away. His mouth felt drier than bone, and there was a terrible ache in his ribs. It wasn't fair. He never got a chance to adequately meet Mira but didn't want his son to feel his pain.

Mira was a joy. She made his son smile. He recalled the early days of death when he came to check on Jamie more frequently. There was Mira. A village girl who always made poor orphaned Jamie always feel at home, even as other children scorned him and made fun of the boy whose father was a murderer and only allowed in town for his skill at metal before he died.

"That, th-that can't happen. You have to do something!"

Jack glared down at the girl. "And what, pray tell, do ye think a wretch like me can do?"

Anna looked behind them as she heard Mira cry out as Jamie argued with the midwife.

"What about the baby?" Anna whispered, arms raised and hands on top of her head in barely restrained panic. She was getting better at that. Panic.

"I don't know."

Anna was silent again. She sat down on the bench and buried her head. "Why am I here? Why do I need to see this?" she moaned to herself. "Why do this to me?"

"I don't have those answers," Jack said helplessly, sitting beside her.

Anna sniffed and hugged her own midsection as she sat up. "Is there anything we can do?"

Jack shook his head.

"We could pray?" Anna suggested meekly, glancing at Jack. Worth a shot…

Jack grimaced. "Despite having seen the gates of Heaven myself, I don't find myself keen on begging, Spirit. I gave up on that long ago. The cries of the dead, fall on deaf ears I think."

"Maybe," Anna whispered. "I'm not trying to be religious here. And I suppose it's strange for me, of all people, to hold onto Him…but…"

"I am not saying thy belief won't offer some…hope…" Jack admitted, "For you at least." He chuckled humorlessly. "Maybe He will listen. You'll likely have better luck than me in any case."

There was silence. Jack didn't look at the girl, but he supposed she was doing as she suggested, whatever good it would do. He jerked in surprise as she did something he wasn't expecting.

She hugged him.

It was a bit awkward, but Anna tightened her arms around him anyway.

He held his arms up above, not sure what to do with them.

Anna hugged him the way a child might embrace their father in comfort.

"I'm so sorry," Annalise said spitting out his dirty, dusty robes that got in her face. "This isn't fair to you. I just keep thinking about myself, but this must be awful for you."

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes before he finally returned the hug, blinking away tears he didn't know were there. He huffed sharply and shook his head. "Alright lass, would ye look at me for a moment?" He touched her head to make sure she was listening and looking at his face.

"Why do ye care so much about my family? I don't even know you."

Anna frowned and shook her head. She didn't know.

Jack huffed, "Then listen. I'm not a good man. Whatever pain I'm subjected to is of my own doing. I don't deserve the pity of a stranger." He tilted his skull back until it leaned on the house so he could see the fading stars as morning light came. "Life doesn't seem to be fair often. I fail to see why death should." He said it more to himself than her.

Anna frowned at him as he said the familiar words. He said them to her when she hid under a table in Harlequin's store. They were exact…

"Jack…sir..."

"Hush. Sometimes…many times… Life being unfair is quite alright. It makes you stronger. Even when you are against evil. But if death were fair, I would be tasting my own blood in Hell. In some ways, this is worse, but sometimes I can watch a sunrise and, for a moment, at least be grateful that I have seen one more. Look."

Anna let go and turned around to see where Jack pointed with his other hand on her shoulder.

It was sunrise.

Somehow this one felt different, newer. Maybe because it was a morning of a day long since passed, a sunrise she otherwise would never have seen in her life.

She listened to him as she watched golden beams bring color to the world. Vibrant greens. Blues. Purple. The hint of yellow of crops just out of view on the other side of the hill.

"However this day goes," Jack said, "There will be another one. I'll admit, I fear that if Mira loses her battle, my son will have lost a wife and child. I wasn't strong enough on my own when the same happened to me, but I had my son and eldest depending on me. I couldn't give up. Jamie is alone now. Losing his family may break him. But my son is not me. He is stronger than I ever was."

Jack glanced at the top of the hill. "But I don't think it will come to that. Not for many happy years."

"Why not?" It was pessimistic, Anna knew, but she couldn't help but ask.

"Because I'll damn my soul again before I lose a grandchild," he said with a dark tone of finality that Anna missed in her slight early morning stupor.

"I thought you said there's wasn't anything you can do," Anna mumbled distractedly. She sat up and looked at the ground.

"Maybe not. I shall figure something out."

Anna didn't know what he meant by that. She just sat there, silently cursing herself for being so…dull. She was having trouble concentrating, not because she was tired or in pain, though that played a part. It was more like she was having trouble focusing on what Jack meant. His words were like noise. Like a song blaring in a car but she could only hear the bass from the outside. She could hear him, but she couldn't focus. She compared it to being on pain drugs in a hospital.

"I'm surprised you haven't left yet."

"Hmm?" she muttered with a distant tone.

"Usually by now you would have disappeared or fainted."

"I don't have any control over it…"

"Hmph. Obviously."

Anna sighed and made a face at him. It was a little odd she thought. She noticed that she seemed to wake up from this dream-but-not-dream state at the most critical moments.

She looked down again. "I don't feel tired," she mumbled.

There was no response.

"Jack?" She looked up, but Jack was gone from his place sitting next to her.

"Jack?" she called again, looking around. This younger Jack didn't seem to know about fading, and if he did, he didn't reveal so. But he was still unnaturally fast and silent if she lost sight of him from a few seconds of looking down. He probably went to look for something. What, she had no idea.

She was alone now, the first time in a while. Anna perked up at the sounds of arguing getting louder.

She scooted farther down the bench when the village healer dragged Jamie out with him.

"James! Ye have to hold it together! Ye can't just start spouting things about thy father like that when thy wife sees visions."

"Ye heard her! If me father…"

"Thy father is dead and gone, boy!" the old man gripped Jamie's shoulders. " _That_ never happened. Do ye want to bring misfortune by speaking of such devilry?"

"…No…"

"Then _please,_ don't distress Mira. She's very ill, and this babe could not have worse timing."

Anna frowned as she listened. The older man sounded worried.

He moved to go back inside, but Jamie grabbed his elbow.

"Be honest with me," he said, voice small and tight and pained, "Is she…"

The healer squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Pull yourself together, then come inside. This is not a place for men, as Mistress Ida said, but…"

Jamie nodded stiffly and waiting for the other person to go inside before he collapsed on the bench, almost sitting on Anna, head in his hands.

Anna thought it funny how he was doing the same thing she did a moment ago.

"Please. Please." He whispered over and over again.

Anna bit her lip. "I don't know what I can do to help you," she whispered. "It be cool if I had some powers over life and death. Or healing. But I don't think I can be of any use here."

James continue to cry, not hearing her.

So she kept talking, her hand floating just above his shoulder. She was too afraid to touch him.

"I can control ropes though. Need help with hoisting something or kidnapping someone, I'm your gal. I can mimic people's voices too. I'm so useless here. I'm sorry," she said depressed and apologetic.

She waited a moment, imagining Jamie responding.

"My brother's name is James too, you know," she whispered thoughtfully, her voice quieter and tinging with just a little more sadness, "I'm pretty sure Jack remembers your name. I guess it probably was painful when he learned what my brother's name is. I'm assuming he knows…knew?...Will know…When you die. That's depressing. Probably not what you need to hear, if you could hear me. But I can't help but think…to me, you and Mira and…and your kid have been dead for centuries before I was even born. I'm pretty sure that makes you more of a ghost than I am. It depends on perspective I think…"

James sighed and rubbed his hands down his face as he glanced at the sun steadily rising.

Anna froze, for a moment thinking the man (though he wasn't much older than her) was reacting to her.

That wasn't the case though.

Jamie took a breath a wiped his eyes before standing up.

Anna followed him inside after a moment of hesitation.

"Please! I'm not going to hurt you," she said just as Mira caught sight of her, eyes widening in terror.

Mira, even in her pain and out- of-it-ness was shocked enough by Anna speaking that she quieted in surprise. She glanced around to see if anyone else could see Anna.

Both of them were quiet as Anna cautiously made her way next to Mira's bedside, opposite of Jamie. The midwife and the other woman (Anna suspected Mira's mother) wrote off Mira's behavior as a symptom of the fever.

Mira eyed Anna like a hawk.

The contractions had paused for the moment.

Jamie and Mira's mother went to the other side of the house to speak with the healer while the midwife ran to fetch more water, after glaring at Jamie and telling the mother to keep an eye on things. The well was just around the corner. She could risk stepping out for a second, even though she knew she really shouldn't.

"Who are you?" whispered Mira in terror, barely understandable in her shaky voice. Her eyes flitted across Anna's bloody charred almost featureless face and eyeless sockets.

"My name…uh…I can't tell you my name…I'm…. well…" Anna whispered unnecessarily. She sighed. "Listen, I know I look awful…but…I'm a good…uh…spirit. A good spirit."

"Then why do you look so…"

"…Frightening?"

Mira nodded.

"Nevermind that," Anna said softly and gave the kindest smile she could with bloody teeth.

Mira didn't look too convinced. The poor young woman look pale, ill, and horrified, adding years to her face.

"How are you doing?" Anna asked shyly.

Mira forced a weak smile and laid a hand on her stomach. She frowned at the spirit. "Ye..ye have not come to take them from me?"

"No!"

"But Hallow's Eve is tonight."

"What hast that got to do with anything?...Um, wait…Halloween's tonight?" Anna said quickly, mildly noticing that she said "hast."

Mira nodded, casting a glance at her husband and mother who seemed to ignore her muttering. "You're not a Fae come to take my child and replace them with your own?"

"Um…no..." That seemed like a big conclusion to jump to. "I don't have children. I…" her voice trailed off as something hit her, "…I don't think I can have children. Not anymore…So…Um, no changelings."

"You've not come to possess my child?"

That conclusion actually made more sense given their circumstances.

"Nay."

"Then you've come to take my life. You're Death." She winced. The contractions were starting again.

"I don't think so. I'm trying to figure out how to help you. Both of you," Anna said gesturing at Mira's womb.

A tiny bit of pained hope flashed behind Mira's eyes before she groaned and cried out.

Anna swallowed nervously and quickly got out of the way as Mira's mother rushed to her side, and Jamie almost ran into the midwife at the door.

"Shh. Shh. It's alright lass. Jamie, you should…" the midwife started.

"No, let him stay please," Mira begged, gasping. She shouted and groaned, breathing heavily.

James, for one, looked surprisingly stoic for a man witnessing birth.

Anna thought in olden days it was believed to be bad luck and very improper for men to be at the birth.

The midwife, Mistress Ida looked hesitant...before she gave in. She sighed. "Aye. But Healer," she turned to the old man and gave him a meaningful look. "Stay by the door."

He looked defeated and knowingly sad before nodded and going outside.

Anna hadn't heard them say it outright, but she knew they all thought Mira wasn't strong enough. She saw the look in the midwife's eyes. The woman was concentrating on the baby now. There wasn't anything she could do for Mira besides trying to save her baby.

"I'm going to die aren't I," Mira moaned.

"No, no. You're not," Jamie took her hand. He sounded pleading.

Mira's mother stroked her daughter's hair, her lip trembling.

Anna couldn't stay. The air felt…thick. Like…she could _smell_ the death in the air. Was that possible? Could she feel death? It didn't seem all that ridiculous these days. There was another scent, lighter almost. Fresher. There was life too. She could smell that? Both "smells" were coming from Mira's direction and Anna, for lack of a slightly kinder work, hated it. They clashed in the energy and air in the house. Two contrasting "smells." The Life was smaller but more potent, while the Death seemed sickly and weak, yet suffocating. It was trying to snuff out the Life.

"Please? Stay?"

Anna jumped at looked back a Mira who stared at her with begging eyes.

"Mira? We're right here, dearest…"

Anna looked away in shame and ran out.

The humans who couldn't see her looked up in shock as the door slammed open and closed, making the healer outside yelp.

He stared at the door as it drifted closed. Was there the wind? He could've have sworn the air was still.

Anna dodged him and slipped in the dry dirt. She hit the ground on her side and cried at the sandpaper feel in her burns.

"Damn it…" she breathed. The healer was back to pacing in front of the door, unnoticing.

Anna pulled herself to her feet, rather impressed with her pain tolerance of late. When the Citizens mentioned her getting used to pain, she didn't think this was what they had in mind.

She gingerly pulled herself up on the bench and sat there waiting for Jack to return and hoping James wouldn't stumble out numbly with red eyes and an anguished cry on his tongue.

The noise from inside was good. It meant Mira was fighting.

Anna was dreading silence.

Morning came and went. A small crowd of friends and family gathered outside as the hours dragged on. Anna lost her spot on the bench and settled for sitting cross-legged against the wall, making herself as small as possible.

The crowd grew and shrunk as the day went on. People sometimes caught sight of Anna out the corner of their eyes, and it wasn't long before some people were whispering of a death spirit waiting for a soul to devour.

Anna ignored it. See couldn't keep them from seeing her and most brushed of the slight glance. They were just people who had their reasons and beliefs. She did wish they would be silent. It couldn't be good for those inside to hear those outside gossiping about evil spirits. Mira was stressed enough.

Women hung up bushels of plants on the doorway and off the roof for good luck and fertility and health and things like that, or so Anna heard. None but very few could stay all day. They had the last day of harvest to prepare for. Men and women worked in the fields together gathering the last of the crops.

It wasn't long before Anna could smell cooking.

Mira's labor had already lasted nearly ten hours before Anna realized she could explore the town and see what people used to do for Halloween. Or Samhain as it were.

She didn't stray far, ready to return to Jack's family at a moment. She kept to the shadows to avoid scaring children.

She really wanted to though. She kept getting distracted by how easy it would be to sneak up on a preteen and tap them on the shoulder before disappearing.

Her impulse control of pranking had suffered greatly went she died, even if she hadn't done very many lately. She had other reasons for that.

She did scare a few people. Not outright though. There was no screaming, only light brushes and staring from around a corner that made a few individuals creeped out without them understanding why. She didn't want to cause Mira or her baby any danger, and Anna supposed causing a panic would be bad. It wouldn't be fun for very long.

"I'm telling you, if she has that child it will bring misfortune to us."

Anna stopped and listened to the women gossiping in the shade of a tree on the edge of a row of houses. It was near the old forge where Jack used to work, Anna noticed.

The other women nodded. "A child born on Samhain."

"What will Fennik do?"

Anna had heard the name Fennik before, in passing. She assumed he was the village leader.

"I don't know. But I'm not letting my children anywhere near that creature. Mira is better off dying and taking the child with her rather than risk giving a demon life. Poor child. She should never have fallen for that boy. That family…one misfortune after another. His family is cursed. They shouldn't even be allowed to stay."

Anna clenched her half-skeletal fists and glared at the women. She felt personally insulted. For MANY reasons. One, _HALLOWEEN_ for goodness sake. Two, _she_ was born on Halloween, which had shaped up to be a horribly extraordinary "coincidence." Three, on a strangely deeper level she was incredibly upset anyone would say Mira should give up. The idea caused her such a sharp ache in her chest even as the logical side of her reminded Anna that regardless of what happens today, Mira and James have already been dead for a long time. And James' family wasn't _cursed._ Jack just made some bad decisions. He was the one being punished. Everything else was just bad things that happen in this world.

Her throat caught as she remembered something horrible. She forgot to check, but that last day of her life she remembered Chelsea saying children born on Halloween were sacrificed for being demons.

For someone obsessed with her Holiday birthday, Anna actually didn't know if that was true. She supposed that child and family would be seen differently, maybe feared and ostracized depended on just how strong the belief was. Killed? She didn't know.

Jack wouldn't let that happen right?

Anna shook her head. She opened her eyes and noticed something skittering through the leaves close to her bare foot.

"Hello there," she murmured sweetly and picked up the little creature.

The women were still talking, and in their usual unaware-human fashion, they couldn't notice the smirking glint in Anna's eye sockets.

"Want to help me with something little guy?" Anna snickered.

She liked to imagine the spider was more than willing, having remembered one time when Mira found him in her windowsill and gently gave him a new home in a nearby log rather than kill him.

Anna put the spider in the right spot and leaned down, preparing her voice for a slight change.

"Excuse me ladies, but could you please take your conversation somewhere else?"

A moment later two ear-splitting shrieks echoed through the hill as two women in their late twenties ran down the hill, grabbing their very confused children along the way to run away from a spider that swung into their faces and spoke. They screamed about demons the whole way.

Anna chortled as she calmly walked back to the main part of the village, thanking the spider out of polite habit that Halloween rubbed off on her. Her smile was suddenly wiped.

Sunset.

She couldn't help the suddenly light feeling in her bones as the last light of the day disappeared beyond the westernmost hill. Earlier, she had caught sight of a large bonfire being built in an empty field on the other side of the village. As she slowed to her walk, she noticed turnips in the windows and candles being lit, and a trickle of villagers making their way to the unlit bonfire in the distance.

There was a bubble in her heart, and a huge smile broke out on her face.

"Halloween…" she breathed. This feeling…she couldn't adequately describe. It was like pure fear but mixed with awed joy. If she had a better frame of reference for fear, she might have said it was like the terror and excitement of riding a roller coaster for the first time, terrified yet knowing you were safe. Almost.

Someone brushed by her and she jumped, an apology for standing in the way on the tip of her tongue.

She and the other person froze upon realizing they touched each other.

They each got a good look at each other and Anna realized he didn't have an oddly low set mouth, but a gaping slit throat.

He glared at her but said nothing and faded into mist, though she could still see him.

She shook her head at the ghostly encounter and stepped back.

The village suddenly seemed just a little more populated than earlier in the day. She could have sworn she saw a couple familiar shapes in the shadows, but it seemed whatever monsters may be visiting from the dark didn't let themselves socialize with ghosts.

 _If_ , and it was big if, but _if_ they just happened to be some of the same citizens she knew, they wouldn't recognize her anyway. She didn't know everyone yet anyway.

Still, most _creatures_ acknowledged her presence with sideways glances and slight curiosity.

She didn't understand why, but when she tried to meet a ghost's eyes, they looked afraid and were quick to get out of her sight. Then there were others.

They…scared her. They had this…defiant sort of look and stared her down like she was prey of some sort.

She was too inexperienced to realize just what they were sensing from her. It was a different kind of power than what the spirits usually expected from a soul. She was stronger than most of them somehow, but it was evident she didn't know this.

The best way to explain it would be that all human souls are lights of different brightness, but Anna's was a different color _and_ very bright.

Most of these ghosts were dangerous. She knew that. Somehow.

She heard a scream.

Anna forgot about the ghostly stares and the slinking shadows immediately and ran toward James and Mira's house, silently cursing herself for wandering so far away.

That sublime feeling of Halloween disappeared when she saw the crowd that had gathered around the front door. Apparently, the Samhain festival wasn't really all that important to some people.

The door was closed, but there were too many people to secretly push through anyway. Without even thinking, Anna sunk into the ground as a shadow and darted under dozens of feet and the doorway. She materialized on the other side, breathing heavy in shock as she realized that she had figured out Fading again.

She shook it off and looked at the small group.

The baby wasn't born yet.

Anna froze. "Mira…"

"Mira," James begged, sobbing into his wife's limp arm. "Please…"

"We need to get the baby out now," the midwife said sternly. "James, we need to save your child now. Let her go."

James fell back on his heels, an empty look in his eyes, and nodded numbly.

Anna felt sick.

"She's not gone yet."

Anna jumped and screamed in shock as she spun around in fear at the voice.

A woman stood in the doorway staring right at the girl. She was tall, but not as tall as Anna. She had a thin frame and a young face, childlike almost, but her hair was silver and her eyes ancient. She stood straight like a soldier, one hand hidden in her gray cloak and the other crossed across her middle as if it was broken, though it obviously wasn't.

Anna swallowed, teeth clenched and whatever skin she had left crawling as she felt a chill. "Are you Death?"

"An Angel of Death. You might call me a Reaper." The lady spoke every word with a slight level of finality, as if any word she spoke could be the last Anna heard.

"Reaper…" Anna whispered. "Grim Reaper?"

"One." The lady nodded stiffly, her gray robes swaying as she moved around Anna away from the door.

The teenager didn't know what she was thinking, but she immediately put herself between the Reaper and the humans.

The Reaper smiled in sharp kindness and slight amusement but didn't continue forward. "What bravery. We don't have time for small talk, dearest light. Don't bother introducing yourself, Annalise."

Anna didn't say anything.

"Do you recognize me Annalise?" the Reaper.

"Should I?"

"No." the gray lady smiled again, "None of my charges remember me."

Anna stiffened.

"You're such an intelligent light," the Reaper said, "Surely, I needn't explain?"

"You…You took my life…"

"No. I guided your soul where you needed to go. You're a long way from home, light."

The Lady came closer and raised her hand, the turmoil in the room a world away. Time slowed down.

Anna glanced at the humans in the room who were suddenly statues. "What did you do?" She turned back to the Reaper, her Reaper apparently, and jerked back at finding the Lady's hand touching her cheek.

She couldn't move as the Angel of Death inspected her.

"Hmm," she hummed, "I simply gave us a little more time, light." She turned the terrified Anna's face to the side gently. "Mira isn't dead yet. Simply unconscious, but she only has a few minutes. Her breath is so shallow they may think her dead. In a moment, they will find that isn't quite the case yet. But the baby's fate still hangs in the balance." She locked eyes with Anna. "My name is Chakis by the way."

"H..hello Ms. Chakis," Anna squeaked. "Can you please let me move now?" She whispered her words with barely a breath on her lips in terror.

Whatever held her still released her and Anna relaxed a little, though Chakis still held her face.

"I am sorry about these," the Reaper murmured, touching a burn with a thumb and making Anna wince. "They're a reminder that you aren't in your own time. I could take them away, but you would lose yourself in this time without the pain of your past and the future anchoring you."

"Then I'd like to take a complaint to your manager," Anna quipped nervously, half expected lightning to strike her down.

Chakis laughed lightly and dropped her hand. "The world works the way it's supposed to. Even the functions of the least experienced situations. Such as this, light."

Anna decided not to ask about the funny nickname. Light.

She swallowed again, "Why did you bring me here?"

"What makes you think I brought you?"

Anna was silent.

"Hmph. Well, you are partly right, light. I did help bring you. We knew Jack needed some help telling you your story. He's not the best at explaining at times. I'm sure this wasn't the help he was expecting."

"My story?"

"Yours and Jack's"

"Both of us? Why would we have one story?"

"Ah. You certainly know how to ask the right questions, dear light."

Chakis took Anna's hand before the girl could retort and smiled. "Annalise, you'll find what I mean soon. Very soon. But I'm showing myself to you for one reason."

Anna frowned, still frazzled but present enough to listen carefully.

"I'm here to tell you that whatever happens next would happen whether you were here or not. We…I brought you here that you may understand, not have a chance to change the past. You can't blame yourself, and no matter how unfair things may seem to you, please remember that forgiveness will always be there."

Anna opened her mouth in confusion at the cryptic advice, "What are you…"

"It will not be an easy choice, but it's one you'll make because it's who you are."

Anna wasn't given a chance to ask what any of that meant because at that moment Chakis let go of her hand and time resumed as normal.

Annalise jumped at the noise that filled the heavy silence of the room. She felt so…weak all the sudden.

Chakis smoothly walked around the dumbstruck and confused Anna to stand at attention at the foot of the bed. She watched the midwife call the doctor and James attempt to wake his wife so that she could finish giving birth.

The Angel of Death locked eyes with Anna after a couple seconds.

"Time is running short for a soul in this town. I have a duty to attend to."

"Please," Anna begged, voice tight, "Don't…"

Chakis glared at Anna, silently daring her to oppose Death.

The air was suddenly thick with the suffocating "smell" of death growing stronger and intense, pressing against Annalise.

Anna moved automatically, stumbling backward, eyes wide. She Faded into an inky shadow on the ground and darted outside.

She zipped around the village in a random direction for a moment.

 _WHAT DO I DO!? I need to help Mira. Wake her up or something? Or keep the Reaper away!_

 _That's it. I could sense it. I'm not strong enough to keep Chakis away from Mira and baby._ _She just sapped away whatever strength I have as a ghost or spirit or whatever._

 _But Jack…_

 _Jack is a strong spirit. Monster. He's a strong monster. He could keep Chakis away. Then what? I don't know! But it might give us time. I can go back to sleep, or wake up, and look for some kind of healing spell in the witches' shop. Maybe that spell I heard that they put on the fountain water in town. That could help Mira. I don't know how to use magic or spells but…I have to figure it out. I have to._

 _I can't just let Mira or the kid die._

 _The Reaper said I can't change the past. But I'm here, and Mira and the baby aren't dead yet. Maybe the past is that they don't die here and now._

 _Jack. Where the heck is…_

The black shadow formed into the shape of a thin skeleton figure with a long spiky coat and short spiky uneven hair on the side of a cottage wall facing the woods.

The round eyes of the shadow could see the vague shape of two figures on a hill on the edge of town.

It was the same hill Anna and Jack had seen a demon standing on what seemed like ages ago.

After a long, hesitant pause the two-dimensional Anna sunk to the dry grass and slithered up along the hill from a direction Jack and the other figure couldn't see her.

They seemed to be arguing.

Apparently, she didn't miss most of the conversation.

"I've waited all day for ye," Jack snarled, his voice threatening and defiant. "Here I thought ye were looking for me."

The other man's smile widened even as his eyes narrowed. "I'm little too busy to be catering to your whims, _Jack."_

Anna reformed behind a tree nearby and turned her head to listen in worry.

This other man was a demon. She _knew it._

She wanted to go out and stand next to Jack, pulling him away from the man. Mira needed him!

This demon…Anna didn't know what he was doing here. She had never seen a demon herself before, besides those visions of Jack tricking the Devil so long ago. This wasn't the same man that Lucifer took the form of.

Part of her was thankful for that.

She didn't jump out and drag Jack away for the simple fact that she was too terrified to show herself.

Even now she was close to crying. She just wanted to run away. That aura of _evil_ around that _creature_ was just so was scared. And she couldn't even hate herself for being so scared.

But she couldn't leave. She just…

She was strong enough to refuse to leave Jack, even if she couldn't stand by him.

What did she owe him anyway?

The demon spoke again, and it took everything Anna had not to tremble.

She gripped her nails into the tree behind her and tried closed her bloody sockets, holding her breath.

"I'm merely curious," the man said flippantly.

"About what, you stain?" Jack said sternly.

"Word is…" the man started to walk calmly, gently circling Jack. "That you're looking to beg like a dog. Again. Pathetic really. I've been staying nearby to see if this was the case."

"Where did you hear this?" Jack chuckled drily.

"Oh, so you're _not_ willing to bargain for a couple of lives?"

"…" Jack stiffened.

"We've kept tabs on you, little Jack," the demon sneered, "Tends to happen when you insult the power of Lucifer like an insolent maggot. When we heard your son got married? Well, I couldn't resist the chance to make your existence a little more unbearable."

"Thou made Mira ill?"

The man gasped in mocked horror. "Me? I'm flattered, Jack Smith. Sometimes these things just…happen."

Anna frowned but didn't move from her spot.

"But seeing her get so ill while pregnant with your grandchild? Well, that's just an opportunity we couldn't pass up. And we knew you would come back here eventually."

Jack moved toward him but froze when the demon raised his finger.

"Hold on Jack. I'm here to _help._ You see… we demons? We're not the villains here. Heaven's the one that has a quota of souls to meet per day."

"What?" Jack hissed.

The demon continued, waving off Jack's interruption. "Someone has to die today. It will either Mira or the kiddy." He smirked at Jack.

Anna's eyes widened, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from breathing too loud. She didn't need to breathe!

Jack was silent as the man continued to talk.

"But it isn't all bad Jack. See, I'm here to tell you that you get to _choose_."

Jack looked horrified and backed up. " _What?"_

 _What?_ Anna carefully poked her head around the tree to stare in horror, careful to keep herself out of sight.

"So," the man smirked triumphantly. "Who'll will it be, Jack? Surely you know just how much the death of a child can destroy a father. Would you put your son through that? Then again, Jamie _really_ loves that lady of his. If she dies, he _might_ spend the rest of his life blaming his kid for her death."

Jack glared, "I don't get to choose who lives and who dies. Neither do you."

The man shrugged up at the taller skeleton. "Ironic that _you_ say that. Murder seems to do the trick. I'll put it this way. If you let that _nice_ "Father" up there make the decision, then _we'll_ get involved." His smile took on a manic look. "And that entire town down there won't last past morning."

Jack looked sick.

"Oh, come now. What's one more life on your hands versus a hundred? It'll be just like the old days."

Jack clenched his fists but otherwise refused to react. This being before him wasn't worth it.

"I have _all night_ to get the job done, Jack. But you don't. In other words, Mira's barely holding on as it is. Can't you feel it? Someone's about to join us on this side."

Anna could feel it too, she had all day. But now there was a Reaper in the room with James and Mira and the baby.

"Going…."

The timing was spot on. Anna could feel the air shift. The men could feel it too.

"Going…"

It was like a rubber band about to snap. Anna could almost see Chakis reach her hand out toward Mira.

"Gon-."

"Cease this."

Chakis stopped and raised her head, looking out the window toward them. Waiting. But she couldn't wait long.

Somehow, that disgusting smile on the demon's twisted maw got wider. "Oh? Made a decision, have we?"

Jake refused to give the spirit the satisfaction of begging. "Ye say Heaven wants a soul tonight, correct? Does that soul need to go to Heaven?"

"Not necessarily."

"Then take me."

There was silence for a long moment.

Anna cocked her head at a strange wheezing sound.

Laughter. Sick. Hysterical laughter.

"You!?" the demon roared in laughter, "You? YOU'RE WORTHLESS!"

He reached up as far as his physical human shape allowed, grabbed Jack, and threw him to the side with a disproportionate amount of strength.

Jack didn't fight back.

Anna winced at the clatter of bones as Jack fell into her line of sight.

Jack groaned and coughed at the impact. He propped himself on his elbows in the dirt and looked up.

He and Anna locked eyes.

The girl looked so scared that Jack didn't dare reveal to the demon that she was hiding behind the tree.

He tried his best to give her an assuring grin and turned around quickly to pick himself up.

"Be careful…" Anna murmured under her breath.

The demon kept ranting, throwing his arms about almost comically in his rage. "You really think your soul has any value after you insulted Lucifer? Your bones are worth more _rotting_ out here than any feeble light you have left in you!"

Jack didn't know what to do. He had nothing else to offer for Mira or his grandchild.

The demon finally caught his breath, and the air rattled with the occasional giggles.

"Oh my. The idiocy. The _arrogance!"_

"Please…"

The demon froze. "What was that?"

Jack swallowed his pride. He begged. "Please."

"Heh. Please _what?"_

Jack stared down the demon pleadingly, acutely of the spirit girl behind him watching in horror. He was disgusted that he was allowing her to see him stoop so low. She shouldn't be there.

He hesitantly lowered himself until he was kneeling, the dirt getting in between his joints. He stared at the ground before raising his eyes just enough to catch sight of the Samhain Bonfire flickering in the distance.

The flames reminded him of that one last selfless act he did with his life. He saved his son.

He _had_ to do whatever he could to save his children. James and his family were all that was left of his heart.

"There must be _something_ I can do. They both…I..I can't take any more lives." He stopped himself and squeezed his eye sockets shut, tensing at what he was about to say. "I can't take _theirs._ "

The demon paused mockingly in consideration.

"…Weeell…" the demon started with a too kindly understanding tone in his voice. "There _is_ another option." He sounded incredibly pleased.

"What…"

"Heaven wants a soul, and they'll get one one way or another. And you are going to _have_ to choose, I'll make sure of it, but…it doesn't _necessarily have_ to be one of _them_ specifically."

Jack swallowed.

"Hmm. Well the rules are a little complicated, so I won't bore you, but basically, what I heard was that someone in _your_ family has to die tonight."

"But…" Jack's soul sank in his ribcage. "There's no one else."

"Buh buh buh! Don't interrupt, _pet."_

 _God._ Anna hated this guy's smirk. She wanted to strangle him so badly.

Where are ropes when she needs them?!

"There's no one else in your family _yet."_

Jack seemed confused.

Anna was too. But it wasn't like she was about to ask for clarification hiding behind a tree.

Luckily (if she could think about it as "lucky") the demon explained.

"Time is very relative to humans, and, to an extent, us as well. But many centuries from now, you're going to have a lot of family members. Lots and lots of descendants really, if your bloodline doesn't get cut off prematurely that is. Like tonight."

Anna felt like she was _this_ close to punching that smugness off that demon's nasty mug. She was already dead, but she wasn't sure what else a demon could do to her. Maybe she didn't want to find out.

Jack stared at him, his emotions flitting across his face. Worry. Guilt. Curiosity. Determination.

"Think of it like a debt. I'm sure you're familiar which _those._ The life will just be paid back later with one of your descendant plus a little more," the demon sighed dramatically, "Yes, you are still essentially dooming someone to a truly horrible death, but at least it won't be someone you know personally. Rather a good trade-off I believe."

"Yes."

The demon looked surprised but grinned. "What? You haven't even heard the whole deal. They're still your blood. Your grandchild? Not immediate. There will be many generations between you, but still. _Are you sure?_ "

Jack stared at him stoically, refusing to let himself back out for James sake. He thought of his son and what he was willing to do for his family.

The pieces clicked together, and Anna suddenly felt incredibly…sick…

How comfortable she was around Jack Skellington.

Why he always avoiding her.

Why he was apologetic when he said, "You shouldn't be here."

Why she was so defensive of Mira and James' family.

Why she _freaking looked like him._

 _No…_

 _Please…no…_

 _Please. Please say no, Jack._

"…Yes _."_


	27. Chapter 27: Harvest

**Ok. First off, I know I put a similar note in the last chapter, but who is that person from Canada who somehow manages to be the first person reading the new chapter? Seriously. They've been on point nearly ten chapters in a row, I think.**

 **Also, I'm not apologizing for the emotional turmoil of the last chapter** **But am sorry if you were exceptionally upset. Thank you for the reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 27

Harvest

* * *

Anna listened to her whole world once again crash down around her.

Jack forced himself to take an even breath, "Horrible death?"

The demon smiled sickeningly. "Didn't I say? Doing this would break more than a few… 'rules.' We'll have to get very specific about who dies without going so far as to name them."

Jack was silent.

Anna was….

She started to shake…

Jack thought about James and the cost.

"What else?" he asked sternly, with a deathly tone of finality.

"Hmph. Well, by cursing your family like this, that person will have a very unprotected soul. They can't 'pass on' until the years they could have had are used up. Up until that point, they're essentially fair game for anyone who likes souls. Namely _us._ " The demon smiled viciously. "I'm not going to hide anything from you, Jack. I want you to understand exactly what you just did to some stranger."

Jack kept a stony glare. "Are you saying that when they die, they'll have to wander around this world like me while being hunted by you?"

Anna stiffened with a raw strike of fear that chilled her bones. She didn't know about that. She didn't know about any of this. Why didn't Jack tell her something so _crucial?_ At least about the demons hunting her bit. Forget for a moment _selling her life_ like it was his to barter.

Anna was starting to spiral. She wanted to laugh. And cry. And throw herself off a cliff.

 _No need. Jack did that for me. Was my life ever mine to live? Apparently not. Maybe I'm dreaming. Or maybe I've always been here. What is sanity? Not this. Is this real? What is real? Maybe I imagined a life. Perhaps imagined a death. Maybe I have always been here. Maybe I got sick of this existence and dreamed a different world for myself. Where did I start? Is this the world? I can interact with this world, in this time. I must be real here. I'm not really in Halloween. I can't hear anymore._

People rarely notice insanity or understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it. From the outside looking in, you can't understand.

Does Anna's internal tirade sound reasonable to you? If so, I would consider waking up. Or seeking professional help.

The demon chuckled darkly, "Yes. What do you say, Jack? I'm almost willing to give you a chance to back down."

"…You said we have to be specific."

The man scoffed, "Well it's not like we can just curse _anybody._ They have to be reasonably untainted for one thing." He lowered his voice slightly, "At first."

Jack shut his eyes sockets and forced a nod, not letting himself be curious about that last bit. "Is that it?"

"Ha! If you want me to do this to save your daughter-in-law and her kid, then _I_ get to choose our little criteria."

"No, you don't."

All two of the three people on that hill jumped in shock at the voice. The third was too lost and sick with betrayed grief to pay attention anymore.

Chakis stared at the demon. "Speak no more lies."

The demon wiped his smile so suddenly Jack almost didn't recognize his face for a moment.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded, moving away slightly. He tensed at the power he felt.

Both of these creatures were stronger than him, though for different reasons. With age comes power and these two were ancient.

Chakis calmly looked up and down the skeleton. "I'm the Angel of Death who has a say in this deal. That soul will be mine to take, whomever it may be."

Jack stared at her as the demon remained silent. "You…you seem familiar." He almost whispered the words but not quite. This lady caused him some fear with her quiet demeanor and too calm stare.

"I should hope so. I followed you from behind as you walked to your death on a long road so long ago. That day you locked your soul away from me with a few words and a cross carved on a tree."

Jack gasped in shock. "I…I didn't die that day…"

"Didn't you? You might as well have. No soul is set in eternity until that last thought has left the mind in death. You could have redeemed yourself at any point before you died, even after taunting my brother. But by tricking the Devil, you tricked yourself into believing you were more powerful than God himself. That was your folly. Not your deal."

Jack gaped, fear and shame striking his face. There wasn't much he could really argue.

Chakis continued, "But I didn't leave my post by your son, daughter, and granddaughters' side to simply scold you."

"Granddaughter…" Jack breathed, completely missing Chakis' use of a plural.

Anna didn't miss it.

 _Please just let me wake up, Chakis. I'm going insane._

But even waking up wouldn't be an escape for her.

The funny little knife in the back of her head reminded her that she would have to face Jack, _her Jack,_ eventually. The quiet vengeful sliver of her personality was more than looking forward to the opportunity.

The angel nodded. "I came so that you understood that there is hope for the soul you've already decided to cheat." She stared at the demon. "I will tell you what must be. Don't let the demon let you believe they choose who dies. These criteria were chosen by you and your fate."

Jack glanced at the demon, who in his silence didn't seem all that powerful. "I don't want to hear."

"I don't care. You just damned an innocent. The least you can do is feel guilty and understand your choice. So, listen well. They must be born on the Hallows Eve, like you and the grandchild whose fate you've traded."

Jack tensed in pain and blame. "Then the baby would have been the one to die…"

"You are trading someone else's years for theirs, yes. That doesn't matter now. The soul that has been cursed is what is important. They will die by the same fashion on the same night as you, as you are the one making this deal. But their soul will be safe by your side. When you find them, whether in their life or their death, keep them close."

Jack shifted. The years hadn't dulled the most painful moments of his death. Fire still terrified him. "What makes ye think they'll let me near after what I've done."

"Hush. There will be safe havens for souls like you and them. Places demons cannot touch. You _will_ find your haven. I needn't tell you how."

Jack refused to meet her eyes and stared at the dirt. "Art thou nearly finished condemning my conscience. I understand what I have done. And I will take whatever torturous punishment ye sentence if Mira and her baby live," he almost pleaded.

The demon rolled his eyes but didn't dare speak.

"I'm not sure you do understand," Chakis said.

The demon suddenly looked up at Chakis as another soul became visible to him. He snickered. "You call yourself good to my evil with this ploy, sister?"

Chakis ignored him. She gestured behind Jack with a hand that had been hidden in her cloak.

Jack turned over his shoulder. There wasn't any…

He saw the tree … Why would they care about that spirit?

He eyed the demon, remembering the fear on the girl's face, but Chakis gave them both a look. That kind of look that left him knowing that the girl was far safer with the angel nearby than he ever could be.

He went around the tree, keeping the powerful beings in his line of sight, and knelt by the girl.

"There you are…" he said kindly, regretful that this young woman was witness to his…murder…There wasn't really another honest word for it. "I'm sorry you heard all th—." He cut off as the spirit turned to look at him.

She…

She stared at him with such abject betrayal and pain that his heart would have stopped if it still beat.

He breathed in sharply, air whistling through his rib cage audibly. There are no words to adequately describe that moment when he suddenly realized exactly why she stared at him with her nonexistent eyes so steeped in righteous anger and pain.

"You're my…" his claw-like hands twitched, as if he wanted her reach for her.

Anna glared at him silently, tears stinging the burns on her face. She had no words herself yet. They were all in her head, spinning around and ripped to pieces until nothing made sense.

"No…" the skeleton whispered. He fell back on his heels heavily, his bones feeling like iron.

Anna couldn't help the strangled whine that came from the back of the throat. She clamped her skeletal hand against her mouth and tried to stifle the choking wailing sob. She refused to look away.

"…I'm….I'm so…" Jack couldn't even get the words out.

For a moment, he just stared at her and her damaged burnt shell, the giggling demon and stern looking Reaper not even there.

Anna sniffed and shakily opened her mouth to scream at him.

But nothing came.

She woke up.

She stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

Then she screamed in pain and rage, crying out in grief reminiscent of when she ran into the woods her first day in Halloween. She slammed her fist into the floor beside her, not even sitting up. She barely registered the cracking of bones in her hand from the force.

"Why would you take that away from me!" she screamed at the ceiling as she scrambled to her feet, almost tripping on her striped, ripped coat jacket that lay on the floor still. "I have every right to be angry! He killed me! He killed me! And the moment I get to scream at him for it, you wake me up! Why would you do THAT?! Look what he did!"

She was too _furious_ to notice the door of the room open to reveal a very concerned man and woman with a nervous ghost dog and black cat at their feet.

"Why would you just _let_ him do that to me!" she shrieked, uncaring of whoever listened. She had words just for one person. The one person who could always hear her because Jack himself wasn't in the room. "I have a family! I had a life! I wasn't supposed to die!? I wasn't supposed to! I have years ahead of me that I'll never see because _YOU_ let him kill me!"

She cried now as her exhaustion started hitting her bones. She continued to scream even as her voice broke and she stumbled clumsily against a wall.

"What did I ever do?!"

"Rrreow?" if a quiet meow could sound hesitant, then that was the strangled, confused sound Jasper made, more because Anna needed to know she had an audience.

Zero whined a little and inched closer. He glanced up at the two people who were staring at the eight-foot-tall stick figure throwing a grief shaded fit.

Anna gasped as she looked down and across the room at Jasper, Zero, and the two humans. No. They weren't human. Not really. They were Thanksgiving Citizens.

Her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell against the bottom of the wall, hitting her head while her right arm twisted badly and popped out of the socket.

She blacked out for a moment. A second later, she blinked up at someone with a wince as they helped her sit up against the wall.

It was the woman.

"Thanks," Anna murmured at the much smaller Pilgrim lady a little numbly. She wasn't sure this lady was human sized…but by Halloween! Anna wasn't expecting to realize just how massively… _tall_ she really was compared to the woman.

She was suddenly very aware of her skeleton body made of sharp angles and thin bones. She could better understand just how scary she might look to a human. She was freaking huge!

The woman seemed pleased at Anna's choice of words, though concerned at how the _skeleton_ unconsciously tried to tuck limbs away from her. "You're very welcome, Halloween Citizen." The women wore all black and had lovely raven curls and rosy cheeks. She didn't seem too old. Forties maybe.

"Excuse me…is this normal for you?" another voice said.

Anna looked to her side as she felt Zero nudge her dislocated arm toward the American Indian man. He seemed older than the woman though that could have been because of his deeply sun bronzed skin. He had spent many more years outside in the woods than a Bostonian magazine editress.

"Sorry…about…um…all that," the gangly skeleton whispered, still too angry to be suitably embarrassed. She couldn't actually reach the arm from where she sat but didn't want to ask him to hand it to her, given how disturbed he looked. They were dealing with it remarkably well, but Anna could till they were very afraid of her. She was honestly somewhat impressed at how they handled it.

She also found herself honestly surprised to see bone again. She had almost gotten used to the burnt flesh after spending more than twenty-four hours in it. Pain and all. She could almost still see the blood.

The man and woman shook their heads and shared a glance. They weren't sure what to make of the female creature's earlier rant.

"That obviously wasn't meant for us. We shall not speak of it if you do not wish it. I'm only somewhat surprised that it was God you were yelling at," the woman said with a reserved tone. She eyed the creature almost warningly.

The man seemed to steel himself and gingerly picked up her arm by the forearm and carefully held it out as if it might bite him.

Anna took it, mildly pleased that her arm didn't hurt too much. She wasn't quite sure how to reconnect it though.

The lady noticed her lost expression and held out a hand. "May I?"

Anna nodded in relief and gave her the skeletal arm. "Don't worry about it hurting—."

 _CRACK!_

The woman shot her hands away from Anna and backed up cautiously.

"Cat's Tail!" Anna swore with a shout, curling the right hand into a fist before letting out a second cry. "Ow!"

That hand had a few nasty cracks in the bone. A-plus to the floor installation.

She held the hand close to her and assured the lady whose gentle yet firm composure broke at Anna's cry.

"I'm okay. I just got a little carried away…earlier. Why are you surprised that I was…yelling at God?"

Jasper and Zero shared a look. Were they supposed to just ignore that rant they heard?

"We were under the impression that Halloween was pagan."

Anna's sockets widened slightly while Jasper yowled quietly and Zero's confused bark startled the Thanksgiving Citizens.

"That's not….Halloween is actually…" She trailed off sharply as the man raised his hand to silence her.

"While we appreciate an explanation of your Holiday to our understanding, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until more…urgent explanations are forthcoming," he said meaningful with a stern look at the creepy creature's empty sockets.

Anna was still very preoccupied with the information she recently had thrown at her with enough force to make her soul twist in pain. However, she had just enough self-awareness to realize that now that the danger of her anger was passed, she was in a _lot_ of trouble with this Holiday.

So much trouble.

It wasn't all her fault. She didn't know much about what each Holiday expected from each other. Still, as she sat there on the dusty yellowish wooden floor, she realized that she hadn't exactly considered if whoever was in charge of Thanksgiving would be okay with her hitching a ride.

"I'm really sorry about…" she really hoped they could hear her sincerity through the other emotions that were fogging up her mind.

She was cut off by the look from the man and woman. She quickly looked down sheepishly and was silent as Jasper and Zero flinched and slunk dejectedly until they stood by her sitting form.

The man pulled over a chair into the middle of the room.

"Sit."

Anna scrambled to her feet and immediately did just that, crawling more than running in her haste. In a moment, she sat stiffened straight like a rod was stuck to her spine. She folded her hands and stared at them respectfully.

The staring, in addition to the spider-like movements, just creeped the older holidays out.

Jasper and Zero darted under the chair behind Anna's feet. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but _anyone_ can be scary if they can pick up a yowling, scratching witch's cat by the scruff with barely a flinch on their face like that man did.

Jasper rather amusingly threatened Zero with tearing Jack's curtains and framing him if the ghost dog mentioned his humiliation to anyone.

Meanwhile, Zero was busy counting how many bats, rats, owls, cats, and fellow dogs he could tell the story to before Jasper pulled some magic trick on him.

The silence dragged on. They just glared at the girl. Well, it wasn't really a glare. The two elders were silently waiting for her reaction. In their experience, people tend to reveal more when given a chance.

"Uh…" Anna murmured, "May I…ask…How did I get here?"

The woman glanced at the red leaves sitting on a nearby table. They had disconnected from the giant maple tree when the skeleton crashed into it. It was a rather spectacular crash at least. Most citizens avoid the Tree with awed reverence and this _visitor_ went head first.

"We brought you here after you ran into our Tree…"

Jasper made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

The Thanksgiving citizens glared at the black cat.

"…and these two ran out a nearby alley and promptly proceeded to further terrify our townspeople."

"How?" Anna asked dubiously even as the cat and dog looked insulted by the _scaring amateur_.

The man sighed sharply and continued to let the lady explain. He was still a bit cross about the whole ordeal, as evident by the cat scratches on his hands.

"You see, dear. Halloween may have its own way of doing thing, but here black cats are a terrible sign of bad luck and ghosts…well. They aren't much better than skeletons. Most have never seen one of your kind before."

"I believe it's our turn, young lady," the man said. "Introductions are in order. Who are you?"

Anna took a moment to decide how formal she should be. Better safe than sorry.

"…Annalise Grisholme, Sir and Madame," she clicked her teeth nervously, "I'm from Halloween."

She wasn't actually a citizen yet, right? But she was literally coming straight from Halloween, so it wasn't a lie.

There was a brief flash of surprise on their faces at her name.

The man frowned but nodded. "We suspected as such." Ah, an old man's sarcasm. "I am Chief Squanto of Thanksgiving."

"And I am Sarah Josepha Hale," the woman said. "The Governor of Thanksgiving."

Anna sat straighter at their words and stared at them. She had always loved History class after all. Their names distracted her and she couldn't take the moment to appreciate that the governor, co-ruler of Thanksgiving she assumed, was a woman. Give her a moment to freak out in excitement about one thing at a time.

"You're…" Anna said quickly even as the animals looked lost at the skeleton girl's reaction, "You're Squanto? The brave that…"

"If you're referring to the first Thanksgiving, yes. Though we didn't call it that at the time."

They looked confused and surprised that a Halloween creature would know anything about another Holiday.

Anna gaped, and her eye sockets shot toward the lady.

"I don't expect you to know me," Ms. Hale said hesitant, narrowing her eyes at the skeleton in prim suspicion. "It's a rather trivial story to many people I suppose. At least not common knowledge."

"What?! You're the one who convinced President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving an official national holiday. You pretty much founded Thanksgiving."

Sarah stared, dumbstruck at Anna's knowledge even as Squanto chuckled.

"See Governor," he said, incredibly impressed, "You haven't been forgotten, my friend."

"…" Sarah just stood wide-eyed and perplexed, "Not even King Jack knows of this. How do you, young lady?"

"I wasn't great at taking tests in school, but History was my favorite subject, so I wrote a lot of papers for extra credit," Anna babbled excitedly. She frowned as they still looked confused. "When I was alive," she added.

"You…were alive once?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The Governor shared another glance with the Chief.

"Would you excuse us one moment?" the Chief said, straightening the cloak like shawl he wore over one shoulder.

Anna nodded, and the man walked to the door to open it for Gov. Hale.

This changed a few things. Their initial questions were going to have to wait.

Once they were gone, Anna studied the room she woke up in.

It seemed to be room someone would only use for storage, despite the bars on the window.

Why would Thanksgiving put much work into a jail after all? It was part of a larger building, Anna guessed since there was only one window on the back wall and pipes were running out one side wall, across the ceiling, connecting to lamps, then out through the opposite wall.

Once again, a little more technologically advanced than Anna expected from any holiday.

Besides a few empty crates in the corner, the only furniture was the chair that she sat in and the table by the door with the red leaves.

Anna noticed the leaves, of course, they were the brightest color in the room, but she didn't think they were important besides being the same color as the leaves from the tree she vaguely remembered crashing headfirst into.

She sure gave a spectacular first impression.

Anna winced. Looking back, she realized that her entry into Thanksgiving wasn't taken very well. She wasn't sure what to expect, but in hindsight, she should never have expected it to go _well._

"Reow," growled Jasper, clearing his kitty throat. "Not bad for a redeeming impression I'll admit. Better than most of ours at least."

Anna glanced down at him as Zero floated up to her eye level. She gave him a little pat on the head and gestured for Jasper to jump into her lap.

"What do you mean?"

"Most holidays don't seem to like us it at first. It takes a while for them to…warm up to us. We often don't have that kind of time together. They're really very strange and rude anyway, so I don't bother." He got up to put his paws on Anna's collar bone to inspect her face. "You have some bark scuff on your cheek bone, child. Anyway, what were you talking about just then? Who are they?"

"Arf!" Zero was just as curious and got close to help Anna clean up.

Anna sputtered and pushed him and his ghostly tongue away from her face while pushing Jasper off her chest with the other arm.

"Phfft. Gross, Zero!" she snickered, smiling at them with a strain. With the other two gone, it was harder to distract herself from what she witnessed in the past. "Squanto was an Indian, American not Asian, who participated in the First Thanksgiving when the Pilgrims first came to America."

"Uh huh… and what are Pilgrims?"

Anna stared at the cat. "Do you know _anything_ about basic history?"

"I can tell you how many _real_ witches died in the Salem Witch Trials and the number of Kings of Halloween going back to when pumpkins became our symbol. But I don't suppose _you'll_ find that interesting."

It might please the reader to learn that the word "sarcasm" literally means "flesh cutting." There a reason Halloween Citizens, cats especially, are so good at it.

Anna continued. "That's cool…so…Jack hasn't always been King?"

"Of course not. Back to these Pilgrims? Strange word."

The skeleton rolled her eyes, tempted to keep asking about Pumpkin Kings. "Fine. You at least know white skinned people, Europeans, haven't always been nearly _everywhere_ right?"

"Of course," Jasper sounded a little surprised, "That's actually how pumpkins became part of Halloween. Europeans brought Halloween to America. Pumpkins are from America, girl. We used to use turnips for Jack O'Lanterns ever since the very beginning of Halloween." He grimaced at that. "Bit before my time. _Turnips?"_

Zero yipped lightly, getting a little annoyed that he had to let the stupid cat do all the talking. First thing when they got home, he was asking Jack where that translating spell was. Even if it were temporary, it would be good to know since even he could pull it off. Why hadn't he bothered before for Halloween's sake?

Anna clicked her teeth, knowing just where the turnip thing came from. How can Jack O'Lanterns be such a big part of Halloween and Jack _not_ be the King the whole time? Was Jasper even suspicious about the name of those lanterns?

"Uh. Right. Well, when some of the first Europeans came, one group had it really bad one winter. Spring came around, and the American Indians decided to help out and taught them how to grow crops. Squanto was there. He was a translator and guide for the Pilgrims. Harvest came, and the Pilgrims decided to have a feast. They went hunting, and the tribe thought their friends were under attack because of all the gunfire. When everyone calmed down, the Pilgrims invited the Indians to join their feast of thanks. Squanto was also there."

The animals considered it.

"Hm. Alright…what about the lady?"

"Do you know that rhyme 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'?"

"Some of us aren't _that_ out of touch with the human world," Jasper growled with a roll of his eyes, wishing the girl would get to the point.

"Sarah Josepha Hale wrote that."

"…Really? Interesting, but what does that have to do with the turkey freaks."

Anna stiffened, still unable to squash her still new fear. She really hoped there weren't any eavesdroppers listening in. They probably wouldn't appreciate some Halloween Citizens' little nickname.

"She spent many years petitioning for Thanksgiving to be made an official Holiday. It was really only popular in the Northern states. In the US," she clarified. She had no idea how much the cat knew about different countries. "Before, it was just a little party that families would have when the harvest finished. Like Halloween actually."

Jasper's hackles raised defensively a little. "We're… _both_ harvest festivals?"

"Claws in, Jasper," Anna scolded. "We have very different reasons. I'm new to this, and even _I_ know that."

The cat hissed lightly at being told off. "Respect your elders, girl," he purred. "Continue."

"She petitioned for many years, I don't know how many. Twenty I think."

"Seventeen actually."

The animals glanced toward the window, and Anna jumped, but she continued regardless. She never really liked being interrupted. "Finally, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln decided it would be a good idea to make it official. Something to bring families together and lift spirits in a terrible war."

There was clapping. "Wow. Not bad. A little sparse on the details though you'd make high marks in Governors Hale's class. Granted she mostly teaches the kids, and she's a little biased on the subject of course, so it's really not all that impressive."

Anna finally turned around in her chair, knocking Jasper off her legs, to glare at the girl who pulled herself up by the window sill again to peer inside at the skeleton.

It barely took Anna a moment to remember the girl's face.

"You poked me in the eye!" she accused, almost tipping the chair as she threw out an arm to point at the Native American girl in the window.

"Well you're the one trespassing and terrifying everyone," the girl shot back, her voice muffled by the glass, "Hurry up and open the window."

Anna raised an eyebrow ridge. "Why?"

"Cause, I can't see you that well. And they aren't letting anyone in Town Hall with you here."

Anna frowned and got up, bending over with her height. She hooked a couple skeletal fingers under the window and pulled it open. She didn't even need to reach for it with her height.

A crisp breeze flowed in the room, rustling Anna's messy hair and Jasper's fur.

"Now help me up!"

"There are bars in the way," Anna deadpanned to the white knuckled hands. The girl seemed to be struggling to keep herself up.

"They're just for looks! Yank them out and help me in!" The girl grunted in strain.

"You're rather bossy," Anna said but did as she asked, pulling out the three metal bars with ease.

"And you're tall so _help me up_."

Anna kept her confused yet annoyed frown and grasped one hand, acutely aware of the flinch and shiver the other person had from being touched by her bones.

The two girls struggled for a moment while one of them wiggled through the small window.

Apparently, the Thanksgiving Citizen wasn't expecting the six feet off the ground the window was from the inside and shouted as she started slipping out the rest of the way.

But she didn't fall. Anna caught her around the middle and huffed at their little tangle of limbs for a second.

"Ow! Stop kicking!"

"My foot's caught—."

"Just let me—."

Suddenly the room starting spinning and Anna felt the side of her head hit something hard. Not enough to knock her out at least.

There was a crash.

Jasper and Zero were left staring at two creatures and four pieces.

Zero couldn't help think it hilarious that Anna had more bodily malfunctions than Jack. Given how he was a dog whose master was made up of many gnawable bones, that's saying something.

Anna blinked, wondering briefly why someone's boot was in her face. She reached to rub her sore head only for her four fingers to miss and wave across her line of sight definitely _not_ where she expected them.

The sudden disorientation of not understanding where every part of her body was in reference to her head was enough to make her stiffen in fear of making it worse.

"Oh ow..AHHH!"

Anna winced, unable to turn her skull to glare at the other girl, so she settled for a sideways look out the corner of her socket.

"Maybe _not_ scream? I have the feeling you're not supposed to be in here and _I'm_ in enough trouble probably."

"Oh good, I didn't break you," the other person said, ignoring Anna for the moment. She didn't sound especially apologetic.

"Break me?! I can't move."

"Um…do you need some help?"

"Well I can't turn my head, and _something's_ twisted around, but I can't tell what. So yes, maybe I need some help."

Anna suddenly shouted as someone held her by the sides of her head and lifted. She was surprised that she didn't feel the pull on the rest of her body and tightened her fists. She kicked out a foot to brace instinctually.

The other girl stared at her. "You've…never done this before, have you?"

"What are you…"

The girl turned Anna's skull around.

"…oh."

The Thanksgiving Citizen was in one piece _thankfully._ Pun not intended. However, Anna's headless body was missing (besides her head) one arm while the other arm was twisting backward at an odd angle. The twisted one actually hurt more than the disconnected one, but she could feel both.

It took a moment for Anna to reorient herself and get used to the new point of view.

"Um…" She was aware of the Halloween pets laughing at her in their own silent way. "Keep holding my head for a second."

"Er…okay…this is really weird…Do you have to talk so much? It makes your…head…vibrate weird. And your jaw moves a lot. Ugh. Your hair's a little dry. _Why am I doing this?_ "

Anna ignored most of the commentary.

She focused on figuring out where the twisted arm was in her mind. "I'm Anna by the way."

"Little…"

CRACK. Anna threw the arm back into place with a wince.

"Braid," the girl finished with a squeak and ill expression, not that Anna could see.

"Horrid to meet you, Little Braid," Anna said as she picked up her other arm and tensed. "What are you even doing sneaking in here, wherever 'here' is?"

"Um…Well…I intended to interrogate you…"

Yes, it was just as noisy and painful as Anna expected to pop the other arm back into place.

Little Braid jumped at the noise and looked about to throw up.

"Heh. Yeah. How's that going for you?" Anna grinned.

"…Not as I expected…"

Anna snickered. She held out her hands and Little Braid quickly handed off Anna's talking head and shuddered violently.

"Ugh…"

"Hey, you're the one who fell on me." The bone girl tested her joints and rolled her neck. "Ouch. That's better." She looked toward Little Braid and frowned. The other girl actually did look ready to puke. And she stood a bit too close.

Little Braid jumped at realizing the Halloween Citizen stared at her. It was hard to tell with those _eyeless empty holes._ How could the skeleton even see?

"Must you…um that was a little…sick," Little Braid said hesitantly.

The formally white Anglo-American with an _interesting_ Irish heritage tilted her head in confusion.

"Thaaaanks?" She shifted back a little, eyes never leaving the Thanksgiving Citizens ill face. "Could you maybe back up a bit?"

They glared at each other awkwardly, each of them usually polite to people they just met.

"You…um…you look like you need to puke…"

Those words were enough as Little Braid remembered the sickening crack of bone. She turned away and gagged as Anna pulled her feet away quickly.

Thankfully nothing came up.

Anna tried not to smirk. For someone without much control of her emotions, she at least had better control of her guts. This girl should never go to Halloween if a little cracking made her gag. Yes, stray mummified hands, broken necks, and pickled eyeballs scared Anna briefly, but they never made her rightly sick.

Oh, wait, Anna was a skeleton. She didn't have guts. Could she still get nauseous out of disgust?

She frowned. "Are you…alright?"

Little Braid just waved her hands and took a breath, done dry heaving for now.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Anna said as she got to her feet. And then promptly hit her head on the low ceiling. "OW!" She got on her knees. It looked funny, but at least she wasn't bending over ridiculously.

"Why would you care? Isn't this something you freaks would want?" the girl muttered sourly.

Anna's frown deepened. She didn't know very much about Halloween as a town, but she knew enough to know that wasn't true.

"Actually, if I were a Halloween Citizen I'd want to scare you more than anything. I wouldn't necessarily want to make you sick unless as a secondary feeling."

Little Braid straightened and wiped her mouth, staring at Anna in confusion. "What do you mean _if_ you were a Halloween Citizen?" she snapped.

"It's a long story," Anna said, pursing her lips and glaring at her hands as she crossed her arms.

Little Braid shifted. Now that her stomach had calmed down, she could better sense that something was up. Besides the obvious "up-ness" of one Holiday trespassing in the land of another.

Holidays are good at that type of thing, sensing things, whether they're aware of it or not. It was their job to make humans feel a particular kind of way after all. Usually, they only pay attention to _their_ particular emotion. Fear. Or Thankfulness.

But Little Braid sensed something from Anna that she couldn't just overlook. The unwelcome visitor wasn't thankful about something. Something of the opposite. Regretful? Something negative at least. If it wasn't Thankfulness or Regret or Remembrance then what else could it be?

The much shorter girl sighed and steeled herself. She was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Anna didn't seem the type to play bad cop with (was that the phrase?). And the skeleton wasn't being particularly hostile, at the moment.

Anna looked down in surprise as Little Braid sat herself down on the floor in front of the kneeling Skeleton.

The skeleton towered over her like this. Anna could feel the twinge of fear coming from Little Braid at putting herself in a vulnerable position.

"What are you doing?"

"Interrogating you."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Isn't that what your leaders were doing?"

Little Braid narrowed her own eyes. "They _think_ you don't really mean harm. They've met your King apparently. They want to know what you're doing here and how you managed to knock a few Thanks off the Tree."

"Thanks?" Anna turned to glance at the red leaves on the table.

Little Braid frowned. "Of course. That's what they're really worried about."

What they were _all_ worried about.

"And you weren't exactly very _inconspicuous,_ so I don't think we need to worry about you stealing our Holiday." She trailed off at Anna's blank look. "You really don't know?"

Anna shook her skull.

Little Braid gasped in shock and got to her feet. As the three Halloween Citizens watched, she went to the nearby table, grabbed the ruby red leaves, and spun around to carefully shake them in the air.

"Then who are they?!" she snapped.

Anna squinted at her like she was crazy. Well, crazier than her.

The cat and dog were just as silently confused.

The Thanksgiving Citizen gaped, looked down at the six leaves, and read aloud the gold lettered names only she could see.

"Thim Chan Grisholme. Harold Grisholme…"

Anna's sockets widened. "H-hold on. How…how…"

"Jillian Grisholme. James Grisholme. Sarah Smith. Marcus De…"

"STOP!"

"Deaton. I was done anyway. Who are they?" Little Braid demanded.

"How do you know their names?" Anna demanded with an equal amount of stubbornness.

"These are Thanks. Every human has something they're thankful for during the year. We take their Thanks off the Tree and remind them," Little Braid explained like it was obvious. Eye roll included. "But only the Citizens going to the Real World usually can take a Leaf off."

"…I'm not sure I…"

"They must be special to you if you were able to knock these off. Everyone looked suitably disturbed," Little Braid interrupted accusingly. Suddenly she froze. "Wait. _What was your name again?"_

"Anna."

"Your _last_ name."

"Grisholme." Anna could see the gears turning as Little Braid looked down at the leaves again.

She stared at Anna dubiously and squinted. "You're not…you weren't, _human_ were you?"

Anna didn't answer directly. But she did look away and closed her eyes.

Little braid glanced away as she felt that odd negative emotion from Anna again. She still wasn't sure what it was. This changed a few things. For one…maybe she shouldn't be as rude… "Sorry…who are the other two."

"My best friend and my boyfriend."

"Ew."

Anna's sockets snapped up to glare at the Indian.

Little Braid sputtered in embarrassment for a second. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I mean…uhhh…"

"I _was_ alive you know."

" _I'm_ alive. _You_ were human," Little Braid corrected with a little scoff. "There's a _bit_ of a difference."

Anna rolled her eyes. Not to her.

"So," Little Braid nervously came back over to sit down, "What are you doing here?"

Anna narrowed her eyes at the other girl for a moment, letting Little Braid squirm under her gaze. "I'm trying to go home."

"Th-then why did you leave in the first place?"

"Not Halloween," Anna corrected. "Washington state. That's where I'm from."

"When you were…alive?"

Anna nodded.

"So you remember being human?"

"Doesn't Mr. Squanto and Ms. Hale?"

" _Missus Hale._ And…sort of…I think. They only remember things that have to do with our Holiday I think. I'm not sure about the details. I don't ask."

"Oh," Anna fidgeted. She didn't think being able to remember her life was _that_ big a deal. It made sense in Halloween, somewhat, since she got the impression almost everyone who _did_ die had a pretty traumatizing death. Who'd want to remember _that?_ But as far as she knew, Sarah Josepha Hale lived until she was ninety and died of old age.

"Why do you want to get back to the Real World? You're…family?"

"That's my business," Anna scowled.

"Not if it's on _my_ holiday! We heard what King Skellington did to Christmas."

Jasper and Zero perked up and looked a little panicky.

Anna flinched at Jack's name then paused and tilted her head. "What happened with Christmas?"

Little Braid gasped in shock and leaned closer cautiously. "You seriously don't know?"

Anna shook her head, leaning back and away from the overly serious Thanksgiving creature.

"You and your insane asylum of a town took over Christmas two years ago!"

"Thaaat doesn't really sound like Jack…" she glanced at Jasper who just rolled his eyes while Zero stared at the wall a little preoccupied with a couple choice memories.

"What, so you _didn't_ kidnap the leader of Christmas and attempt to do yourself…whatever it is they do on Christmas?"

Anna just shrugged helplessly.

Little Braid threw her arms up. "Well, what do I know? I didn't even know other Holidays existed a year ago."

"Seriously?"

"Well...yeah," Little put her arms down and looked at the skeleton. The look on Anna's face made her cringe in slight shame. "I guess…it makes sense that there be others besides Thanksgiving…but I never considered what they might be."

Anna's lips twitched. She held out a skeletal hand.

Little Braid looked at her with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

"Let's try this again. Horrid to meet you, Little Braid. I'm Anna Grisholme. I made be in the process of running away from Halloween, but I certainly know more about it than you. I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability."

"I'm…" Little Braid swallowed, a little insulted by Anna's greeting. "I'm _thankful_ to meet you…" There was a twinge of sarcasm.

Anna stared at her.

The other girl huffed. "What? Just being _polite_."

"…so was I?"

They stared at each other, trying to understand what the other meant.

Suddenly, Anna jumped and facepalmed. "Oh! Did I say 'horrid'? That's how everyone's been saying hello to me every day for the past month. Look at me. I should remember that's only a Halloween thing."

Little Braid took a moment before nodding slowly. "Do humans…say they're thankful to have met someone? You should know. You were human, right?"

"Weren't you?"

The girl shook her head. "I was born here."

"Oh. Well, sometimes I think they might say that. I think only when they remember someone they haven't seen in a while. Like…" Anna struggled with an example, "Um…there's a teacher I know. I don't know them all that well, but I'm thankful that I met them." She shrugged weakly.

Little Braid blinked. "At least that makes more sense than telling someone meeting them was a 'horrid' experience."

"Well…you _did_ kick my head off my shoulders…"

"…"

Anna snorted at Little Braid's horrified realization. Then the smirk cracked into a snickering fit.

Little Braid's scrunched up face was too much.

Anna burst out laughing.

The Thanksgiving Citizen smirked at the Halloween Citizen's good-natured cackling, despite how creepy it sounded. She wouldn't laugh…She wouldn't…

A single giggle was all it took. Soon they were both in a giggly mess.

Jasper rolled his eyes and jumped up onto the table to curl up.

 _Wake me when there's something more interesting than…_ teenagers.

Zero rolled his eyes at the cat before barking and flying over to the girls.

"Um alright. I'm not letting the whole 'you running away from your Holiday' thing drop you know," Little Braid muttered.

Anna huffed. "Can't you just accept that I don't want to tell a stranger my life and death story?"

" _Not when you're interrupting Thanksgiving._ Everyone leaves soon. I should be out there helping my family."

"Then why aren't you?"

"I thought I'd be more help getting answers out of you. It was a little silly of me, now that I think about it. I decided to come speak to you because the Chief and Governor were outside talking about leaving you here until Thanksgiving was over. I didn't really like the idea of you stuck here with the elders and little children with no supervision."

Anna jumped. "Please don't do that. I…need to…"

"Use our portal to get to the Real World? Yeah, that's obvious. Look, about telling me about Halloween, let's start with you telling me who this thing is, and I might consider helping you. The less time you spend here, the better. No offense."

"…this is Zero. Say hi, boy." Anna raised a brow ridge at Little Braid and scratched Zero on the back of his ear.

"Arf! Arf!"

"He's…kind of cute," Little Braid admitted though she couldn't help edge away from the excited ghost dog.

" _Kind of?!_ He's adorable," Anna pulled him closer and ruffled his wispy ears.

Zero panted happily.

"You can touch him?"

"Well, obviously. It's not that hard. I had a little trouble every once in a while, at first. Then I figured out you have to _expect_ to touch him."

Little Braid looked more than a little disbelieving.

"Here. Help her out, Zero."

Zero did so by nudging the spirit's arm, making her jump.

Little Braid gingerly rubbed his ear with a growing grin. "Heh. This is kind of cool." She paused and looked at her hand as if expecting it to be wet. "Literally. He's a little cold."

"I noticed that too. I think everyone from Halloween runs a little cold. Jasper over there is cold while you hold him, like he's dead. But he has a heartbeat."

Jasper with his eyes closed wanted to correct Anna. Having a heartbeat didn't mean he wasn't dead. With today's medicine, not having one didn't necessarily mean someone _was_ dead either.

But anyway, correcting Anna was out of the question. Not while that other girl was there. Familiars don't talk to people who aren't their witches. But his first mistress was long dead and passed, and Helgamine was his witch now.

That left two times when he broke the rules. There was Anna of course, still not sure why he did that, then there was…

Oh, what was that blasted girl's name? The one with the blue hair and loud voice? Carol? Caroline? Cora? Hmph. Like he told her, names don't matter much anyway. He had a good reason for speaking with that brave little insect. She needed all the help she could get.

He almost chuckled at his little inside joke.

Insect.

Damn Beldame.


	28. Chapter 28: Unexpected Thanks

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Because, you know, Halloween is really the entire month of October in my opinion. We all know Jack and the others are busy working hard to meet their yearly deadline, so I'm going to work hard on keeping up with updates this month. Sorry for disappearing on you all, but I've been in College for 7 weeks now, and I'm only just now getting a slow week (not really).**

 **Thank you everyone who's reviewed! It makes me so happy to hear from you all. I know a couple chapters are really slow, but hopefully forcing through writer's block like I have will pay off. There's so much to this story I'm excited for, so I hope everyone sticks around!**

 **Remember: some Citizens only exist because humans continue to believe in them. Read and review to remind Anna she exists!**

 **Annalise: Could you be any cornier? I'm not a Legend. I'm Undead. I can survive on my own soul. If they really want to help, they'd go read Frankenstein or Edgar Allen Poe's work. Or anything really.**

 **Ps. I might be rewriting the first chapter sometime soon. It's too long and verbose.**

* * *

Chapter 28

Unexpected Thanks

* * *

"Hello!"

Anna looked at the young boy who climbed up onto the seat next to her. The skeleton cocked her head.

"Um…hello?"

The kid studied her a moment and frowned thoughtfully. "You have a funny voice."

Anna snorted and groaned slightly as the laughing hurt her still healing spine.

"White!"

The boy jumped down and ducked guiltily.

Anna waved her uninjured hand at the boy's mother. She cringed at the stern gaze sent her way. "He wasn't...er…it's alright ma'am. I don't mind."

Anna hesitantly dropped her hand at the woman's intense stare. She nervously drummed her fingers on the thick table.

The boy sulked away to sit next to his mother. He was in a good mood seconds later as a plate of food was put in front of him.

Was the lady concerned about her son being rude, or worried about him being close to the skeleton and her claws?

They weren't claws. All skeletal fingers taper to a thin point.

That didn't seem to matter to the crowd she was stuck with currently.

How did Anna get to this?

Food and music (mostly Hymns) were _everywhere_. When she was alive, the large meal set on the vast table would have had her walking up and down the line taking in the buffet with a growling stomach.

The "Table" was actually a hundred or so individual dining tables from all the households pulled outside and set end to end, stretched into a rough circle around the tree and branching out down the various streets.

A hundred tables may be an underestimation. They literally turned their entire town into a big open-air dining hall.

The partying was kind of loud as Citizens laughed and sang and prayed together. They didn't stay in one place for long. The seats around her were continually shifting inhabitants as Pilgrims, Indians, and Turkeys got up to sit in another area as different conversations began and ended. Somehow, they managed not to ruin the neatly set tablecloths or the presentation of the meal with all their seat swapping.

Despite the dwindling food as people ate, the tables still looked like a Hallmark card overflowing with cornucopias, gold tinsel, squash, corn, decorative plates, and pumpkins. Even the pumpkins looked different than Halloween's.

Anna didn't move, deciding she wasn't welcomed enough to join in any conversation. It was too awkward, and she didn't know anyone. She merely poked at the food and listened to conversation nearby, all the while ignoring the staring and fearful glances.

An icy breeze brushed against the back of her muddy pant leg, and Anna immediately reached a hand down to scratch Zero behind the ears.

The ghost dog was sticking nearby, more for her sake than the Thanksgiving Citizens' comfort.

She discreetly dropped a slice of ham for him, and he settled against her leg as he gnawed on the salty, savory meat.

Anna wasn't sure how he actually ate it, but it didn't drop straight through him, so she assumed it was fine. It disintegrated from view inside his mouth at least.

Jasper was around somewhere, probably watching judgmentally from someone's roof and making sarcastic commentary to himself.

Anna eyed a grasshopper that jumped next to an oblivious Zero. Almost without thinking, she reached down and popped the insect in her mouth. She was probably too used to Halloween Town food.

Thanksgiving Citizens really go all out when it comes to meals. Anything one could possibly imagine eating on Thanksgiving was there from turkeys (still really strange if she considered the giant turkey families sitting around the tables) to some random stuff Anna had never seen before. No bugs though.

She crunched a turkey bone in her jaw and washed it down with some cider.

Those closest to her didn't seem too pleased about a skeleton, a symbol of death, sitting at the table with them and their families. But the leaders had refused to let her rot in a cell for hours while they all celebrated. That and Little Braid threw a bit of a fit when the leaders came back to the jail and found she had broken in. The girl ranted about hospitality until the Governor and Chief agreed to let Anna join them.

They would decide what to do with her by the end of their feast. Or at least before they left for the Real World.

She glanced over and down half a dozen tables to see Little Braid still talking to the town rulers. The American Indian sat across from them, emphatically arguing on Anna's behalf.

Anna still wasn't sure what she said to make the other girl trust her. They just talked.

Little Braid's decisions didn't make sense to anyone but herself.

Governor Hale was listening intently to Little Braid's vouching for Anna, leaning forward with elbows on the table. How unladylike.

Meanwhile, Chief Squanto sat rigidly against the back of the chair with a blank, unreadable expression. He hadn't eaten yet.

Little Braid's back was to her, so Anna couldn't even lip-read.

Not knowing what was said about her was a bit distressing.

Anna and her oversharing to strangers got her into this awkward nightmare.

She didn't tell her new acquaintance about Jack and his role in her…death. It wasn't…appropriate. It still felt like something that should be a secret. At the very least, she didn't want to cry about it to someone she just met. But she did talk about her troubles with training to be a monster. She spoke of protecting her little sister and brother. She spoke about how her memories and unfinished business with her family weren't letting her find peace.

Unfinished business. It was a strange cliché of a concept pulled from ghost stories. But that didn't mean it didn't make sense.

Anna managed to avoid having to name just what her "unfinished business" could be. Honestly, she didn't think she had any. It wasn't like she never got the chance to tell her parents, siblings, or Mark that she loved them. And learning to drive a car seemed much too trivial, as was graduating high school.

There wasn't much else she could think of. Plus, she _wasn't_ a ghost stuck in the Real World right? She _had_ moved on. To Halloween. That was supposed to be her Heaven.

And yet…

She gripped her stick-like knee under the table and stared at the slice of turkey on her plate. It looked delicious, but it just didn't seem very appetizing to her. She could eat it, she knew, but it wasn't making her "mouth water."

 _She wasn't supposed to be here, in the Holidays._

 _Jack messed things up for me before I was even born. It's his fault. Why would I want to stay in the same town as my…my…murderer?_

She refused to think about Helgamine, Zeldabourne, Harlequin…

 _Stop it. Stop thinking about them. They don't matter anymore._

Sally.

The Gatekeeper—no…Nevermore. That's his semi-secret name. If she was going to privately " _not"_ think of him, she might as well use his name.

 _Stop it!_

She even refused to think about Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Why would she? She only met them a couple times. She hated those little brats…but…she couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Anna's eyes fell for a moment. She actually felt pity for those little hellions. They were pretty much fending for themselves in a drafty treehouse without the town's help for some reason. Did Jack abandon them too?

 _STOP IT!_

Anna shook her skull out of those musings. She shouldn't be having second thoughts.

She was going home.

Anna wasn't an irrational person. Her motivations were usually sound. However, she sometimes ignored specific obvious details. Like specific facts regarding her existence and demons. Despite this, she often had a plan. She couldn't have gotten away with as many pranks as she did if she didn't know how to plan. She knew what she would do when she got home. Mostly.

She couldn't reveal herself to her family of course. She knew that was a terrible idea, no matter how much she wanted too. She couldn't do that to them. What would she expect them to do anyway? Hide her in the basement? Accept her with open arms and not shrill screams?

Anna smirked. The idea of her dad screaming like a little girl was too ridiculous to not be funny. The only time she ever heard him scream was when her youngest uncle convinced him to ride shotgun during a drag race. That and when she poured fake blood on her head at the age of nine and presented him with the wood ax.

Keeping an eye on her family as a guardian of sorts for years without speaking to them was going to be insanely boring. She might have to throw a little travel in. It's not like she has to concern herself with sleep or food, at least on a survival level. It was a weak plan, she knew, and really not much of one anyway.

Her frown deepened a little. She knew what her plan sounded like. She was going to pretty much do the same thing Jack did after he died. Wander around aimless, keeping a socket on her family.

But what was the alternative? Stay in a town where she wasn't supposed to be, no matter how much she loved it? A town where the man who practically killed her haunted?

Someone touched her foot. Not Zero.

Anna yelped and yanked her knees up to her chest. The chair wobbled.

Zero yipped at the loss of his "pillow."

Her short shriek caught the ear of Thanksgiving Citizens around her.

A Pilgrim across from her stared in confusion for a moment before ducking their head under the tablecloth.

"Jesse! Rebecca! Get out from under there."

Anna looked on with a thinly pressed jawline as the young male pulled the two giggling kids out from under the table.

"Sorry miss," the girl said, hands clasped behind her back. She swayed a bit and smiled shyly, her nose barely reaching above the tabletop.

"Told you she's really tall," the boy whispered loudly, plainly pointing at Anna.

She really was. The table was so short for her that Anna had no problem seeing them from her vantage point.

The person across from Anna sighed and eyed the skeleton cautiously, "Sorry about that."

Anna swallowed and blinked as she focused her sight on the kids. "What were you doing?" She gingerly lowered her legs to the ground, letting her shoes sink into the crinkly leaves.

"We just wanted to pet the puppy…"

"Oh."

Zero wagged his tail and perked up, floating over and through the table to lick the girl on the face.

She squealed while the young man leaned back and observed the ghost.

"Zero, off the table," Anna said calmly.

The little boy stared at her.

"Yes?" she said.

"Are you really a skeleton? Like bones and stuff?" the boy said, holding up an arm and pointing to it as he wiggled his fingers, his embroidered shawl that was much too big for him slipping from his bare shoulder a bit.

Anna's mouth corners twitched. "What else do I look like?"

"I dunno. Wood?"

"Plastic? Are you bones _everywhere?_ Or just your head and hands?" the girl asked.

Anna thought back to a few times when she was dressing and had taken a minute or two to inspect her ribs and spine.

She never looked indecent when she was naked since there literally wasn't anything to show, but she suspected it was a standard image Jack upheld by wearing nice clothes.

When she got down to it, she doubted the town would be disturbed by her if she had decided not to wear clothes. They didn't act drastically uncomfortable when she fell in the fountain and walked around sopping wet. Plus, there were other creatures that it wouldn't matter for anyway so clothing was just personal preference. Most likely.

"I'm completely a skeleton made of bones. The same kind of bones covered by your flesh under all that skin," Anna said kindly with a sharply tilted head, her dark, thin crop of hair barely brushing her shoulder.

The guy who pulled the children out from under the table laughed weakly at the creepy phrase. Flesh? Skin? Why'd she say it like that…

"See?"

Someone nearby gagged as she pulled off her arm (it hurt, but she was getting used to it) and held it up.

The disturbed murmur started up quickly.

Anna winced, swiftly threaded her arm back up her sleeve, and clicked it back into place at the horrified and disgusted looks she got. "Sorry."

Someone set down their piece of apple pie in annoyed disgust, unable to eat anything after seeing that.

The skeleton fidgeted at the muttering. She was so out of place here; tall, thin, and monochrome contrasting against the homey, warm feel of Thanksgiving.

"Does that hurt?" another voice asked.

Anna jumped and turned around in the too-small chair, almost tipping it again. Her eyes widened, and she set her jaw in surprise.

There was a crowd of kids cautiously gathering around.

Anna's sight darted among them, surprised that they were brave enough to speak to her. It was hard not to marvel at a child's curiosity. It seemed to be a characteristic of all creatures of a certain age, regardless of species.

"…Yeah."

"What does it feel like?" another kid asked. Pretty soon there was a small group around her seat, staring with wide innocent eyes.

"Just the same as when you dislocate _your_ arm."

"But that hurts!" a smaller kid with green eyes said.

The other children gasped, remembering when the green-eyed kid fell off a wagon and hurt his shoulder. He was really crying and screaming even as the doctor set it back. Then he was wearing a sling for weeks.

"You're not even crying!"

"Can you cry?" someone added.

"I think so," Anna answered, propping her head on her knuckles while leaning her elbows on her knees.

"But you don't have any eyes."

"Well, yes. But I can see anyway. And cry.."

"Is there _anything_ in your….your…?" one girl asked, raising her hand shyly.

Anna shook her skull. "No. And they're called eye sockets."

"Can I….can I see?" the same girl asked bashfully.

Anna blinked. "Um…okay."

She leaned down but paused when the girl raised her arms expectantly.

The girl looked to be about six, though realistically she was probably much older.

Anna hesitated before lifting the girl up by the underarms and setting the child to balance on her leg, one hand around the back and on the arm to keep the kid from falling. The skeleton heard the sharp gasp from an adult nearby before someone else calmed the woman down.

They were watching warily, ready to move at a moment if Anna meant harm to the girl.

The girl immediately pulled Anna's face down, her small hands holding the skeleton's cheekbones, and peered into Anna's sockets with one eye. She had such a funny serious face that Anna couldn't help but snicker.

"Hey, be still!" the girl complained.

"Sorry," Anna giggled.

"Anything Misty?" one of the boys demanded, hopping from foot to foot.

Misty's childishly serious expression deepened, and she shook her head. She reached up.

"OW!" Anna yelped, pulled her head back fast enough to feel her spine stretch, and covered the offended socket with a hand.

"Sorry!" Misty cried out and tucked her hands close to herself fearfully as Anna's grip on her arm tightened instinctively.

Anna didn't hear a nearby adult surge to their feet. She winced as she looked back at the girl with one eye, loosening her grip immediately. "Did you just poke me in the eye?"

"Sorry," Misty repeated quietly.

Anna sighed and blinked her abused eye. "It's okay, just don't do again okay? What is it with you people and poking my eyes out?" she groaned dramatically, "Oh look! Black holes in the middle of a person's face! Let's poke one of them with a stick or our fingers."

Misty looked about ready to cry.

Anna frowned. Guess her joking wasn't that funny.

"Look…uh…Misty," Anna assured, "I'm fine. You didn't know any better. I would have done the same thing."

"…Really?"

Anna nodded.

The man who got up eased back into his seat cagily.

"You can feel pain that much?" an older kid, probably around ten, asked worriedly. Wasn't the skeleton…dead? What a horrible sounding word.

Anna nodded, their full attention on her. "Monsters get hurt a lot while they work, but the older ones are more used to it. I'm pretty sure they can't feel pain anymore. Younger monsters like me still can get hurt."

"How come monsters get hurt all the time?" another girl, this one wearing pigtails and a Pilgrim boy's suit despite being a Native girl.

Anna remembered what Helgamine said when she asked a similar question. "When monsters scare humans, they sometimes get hurt. Like they don't stick a landing right, or a human attacks them. I think a lot of scares actually require hurting our bodies to succeed. Like if I pulled off my head to scare someone."

"Why would you do that if it hurts you and humans don't like it?!"

"It's our job," Anna said automatically. "Just like Thanksgiving is your job."

"But it's really mean to scare people," one kid said.

The children nodded enthusiastically. The idea of even scaring another person as a prank was foreign to them. Thanksgiving was about coming together. Being mean drives people apart. Why would Halloween want to drive humans apart?

"It's our job, but we're not mean," Anna snapped her jaw shut and stared off into the distance for a moment before snickering, "Hhehe. Well, we're not supposed to hurt humans. But it's a lot of fun to be scared every once in a while." She grinned and wiggled her thin fingers. "Your heart starts racing, and you think faster. You can do things you never thought you could. Fear reminds your soul that you're alive. It pushes you to go beyond your limitations and face a darkness to prove to yourself that you're human and alive. Or rather…" she trailed off at the confused looks.

 _Right. You aren't human._

She paused for a second, noticing that a few parents were staring at her, likely not pleased about her "indoctrinating" their children with a devilish Holiday.

She chuckled. Her heart (or something that felt like it) felt a little lighter. For someone without much experience with fear, the words had just rolled off her tongue without thought. It was a nice feeling to talk about something she could get excited about. Did other monsters feel like this when trying to explain things to her?

"I supposed that can't make much sense to you," she guessed.

A couple children shook their heads hesitantly.

"That's okay," her smooth yet slightly clattery voice said gently. "I don't think we're supposed to understand each other."

"That makes some sense, but why do you think so?"

Anna jumped and sucked in a breath, not expecting someone else to join the conversation.

An old man sitting a couple seats down nodded at her while the other adults around listened in interest, especially Misty's father who looked ready to attack an unknowing Anna a moment ago.

"I have an idea, but I'd like to hear why you think that is."

Anna glanced at the kids. They were losing interest in her anyway.

"Because you aren't human," she said, "I haven't been a…holiday spirit…for very long. But I'm noticing that humans are the only commonality among us. And each of the holidays seems to focus on a narrow aspect of humanity. Like…um…" she trailed off, but they waited for her to continue.

She cleared her throat. "Well, Thanksgiving is about remembering to be grateful and appreciate what you have. Counting blessings. Right?"

She was met with pleased, proud grins and enthusiastic nods.

Misty nodded her head so fast Anna was momentarily afraid it was going to come off.

"That's…. a big part of being a healthy minded human. If humans forgot how to be thankful, they wouldn't be able to appreciate other humans or find contentment in life. When humans can't find contentment or joy, that's where evil like greed and jealousy can breed."

She thought for a second to put her words in order. "Fear is an important part of humanity too. Without it, humans would do reckless and dangerous things with no conscience or concern for themselves or the well-being of others. It sounds a bit like tyranny, but healthy respect branches from fear, and love I guess. Without fear of something more powerful than themselves, like society or justice, then the difference between good and evil would never be defined. Fear reminds people they're alive and keeps them that way by reminding them they are limited in what they can control. Meanwhile, fear can also be thrilling and a reminder that the world is more colorful than first glance."

"But fear is dangerous is it not? It can be used to harm and control others."

"That's misusing and manipulating it. Fear itself is a good thing, but I think almost anything can be dangerous if there isn't balance."

"You're well informed for a spirit devoted to fear."

Anna smiled sheepishly. "…Thank you, I think?"'

"I'm curious as to how you're able to understand our Holiday. I can't even pretend to do the same for yours."

"Did you…Did Little Braid tell everyone what I am?"

Misty shifted impatiently so Anna let her go and the girl slid to the grass before running off to play with some other children.

"There's a rumor…" the woman who glared at her earlier said stiffly. She narrowed her eyes, "I heard someone mention you used to be human?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Anna stiffened at the sudden gasps and whispering. She guessed that most of them didn't believe the rumor before.

The old man didn't react. He simply studied her, taking a swig of the wine in front of him.

"I think…no…I _know_ that has something to do with why I understand all the holidays," Anna said. "I celebrated everyone's Holiday when I was alive. I remember Thanksgivings with my family."

She shifted. It was a little silly to say but….

"You all did a good job last year. Thank you." Something hit her in the ribs, and her voice cracked on the last word.

Her last Thanksgiving. She was never going to have another Holiday with her family. Ever. Why did she ignore that realization?

She already had all of her "lasts" with them. Even going back to Washington wasn't going to change that.

The noise of the festivities quieted as her words were overheard. For a minute, the only sound was the game of telephone as surprised and shocked spirits relayed what she had said to those who didn't hear her.

There was a softening quiet as what she said reached everyone.

The heavy shift in the chill air was almost tangible.

Anna looked around in worry. Why were they all staring? She looked down only for a moment to nibble on a piece of cornbread to distract herself, and suddenly there was stillness. She looked up to find the _entire_ visible town was staring at her as best they could from where they sat.

Did she do something wrong? Was she not supposed to touch the cornbread?

She looked across the courtyard for help from Little Braid, but the girl was wearing the same expression. Shock. Wonder. Awe. Pride. All of these were mixed together, yet overshadowed by an odd streak of surprised joy.

"What are you-."

"You're… _thanking us?_ " Governor Hale said loud enough to be heard across the courtyard. The regal lady's voice was wavering.

Anna frowned. "Of course."

"We've never…."

Silence.

"No one's ever thanked us for what we do…" the Chief finished, his voice distant.

Anna stilled.

Humans didn't know where Holidays come from. They're just days—special days, but days nonetheless. Holiday towns devoted themselves to their Holidays without ever expecting any thanks or acknowledgment from the humans they worked for year after year.

And then here comes an outsider, someone who was one of the humans they served so dutifully.

And they're being _thanked._ For the first time in probably forever. Anna hadn't considered just how _monumentally_ life-changing that might be, especially to creatures that made gratefulness part of their very being.

 _They're celebrating! They're thanking us for doing such a good job!_

Where had she heard that?

Anna shook her skull slightly at a sudden headache. She thought she was done with those.

The quiet murmuring stretched on as the Citizens processed the unique gift Anna gave them.

"You're welcome!"

Anna smirked and laughed at the kid in the distance who suddenly jumped up to break the silence.

The tension disintegrated easily enough.

Anna smiled softly and looked back down at her food as conversation slowly resumed.

Someone sat next to her.

She looked down at the man in surprise.

"Greetings," he said awkwardly.

"Hi..."

He quickly held out a hand before he could think better of it. "I'm Joseph."

"Anna…" she grasped his hand and pumped it once before letting go. She could tell he was having a hard enough time as it was even speaking to her.

"I'm Misty's father. I almost came over to pull my daughter away from you."

"Oh…I didn't notice," Anna admitted nervously.

"Sorry she poked your…eye…She's very curious."

"It's okay. Curiosity killed the cat you know," Anna grinned.

He stared blankly for a second, not sure how to take that. In the end, he couldn't help cracking a smile at the friendly enthusiasm in the teen's voice.

Anna _still_ didn't move from her seat. Now, people were getting up and coming over to introduce themselves.

Anna was talking with an older lady by the name of Mrs. Reminiscent about pumpkin pie when a certain teenager grabbed the back of her chair excitedly.

"ANNA!"

"AH!" Anna cried out and kicked her legs. She felt the small chair start to tip and panicked. But it was too late.

She blinked up at a group of concerned faces above her, her sockets clicking lightly.

She chuckled and groaned, swearing under her breath. There was a sharp pain in her spine, and the back of her skull was sore. Nothing too bad though.

This was starting to get ridiculous. She should just avoid top-heavy chairs until she got her fear under control.

The crowd of Thanksgiving Citizens leaning over her immediately started babbling in worry, asking if she was okay.

She just gave them strange looks at the bizarre concern at her stupid reaction. It wasn't something she was used to. She sat up, leaves clinging to her already tangled hair.

"What's wrong?!" Little Braid asked eyes wide as her loosening braid flopped in her face like a sad, limp tail. She was going to have to redo it soon.

Anna stared at her from the ground. Did Little Braid not realize that she startled Anna?

"Just…thinking of something…scary…" she lied.

Little Braid frowned. "You Halloween Citizens are weird."

"Thanks."

"Come on. Get up! The Chief and Governor want to speak with you."

Anna groaned, her bones creaking a little as she got up and assured Mrs. Reminiscent that she was fine.

The Chief raised an eyebrow at her somehow further disheveled look as the girls approached but didn't question it.

This table was empty of other Citizens and out of earshot.

"Have a seat Ms. Grisholme," the Governor said.

Anna eyed the chair distrustfully. "Can I stand please?"

"If you like."

Anna nodded and folded her hands behind her back. She noted Jasper and Zero approach out of the corner of her socket.

The cat and dog discreetly slinked under the table to listen in.

Little Braid sat in the seat next to the one Anna stood behind. It wasn't like anyone was asking her to leave.

"We'll be leaving for the Real World in about an hour," the Chief started, "Little Braid explained as much of your reasons for trespassing as she could, but we'd like to hear some things from you before we make our decision."

Anna swallowed and shifted on her feet for a moment. She looked off above their heads at the red leaves of the tree.

She still had the leaf things—the Thanks—she knocked off earlier.

Anna let her eyes roam around to keep from focusing on the co-rulers and panicking, knowing that they couldn't tell where she was looking.

"We have three choices," the Governor said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "First, we let you come through our gate with us, leaving you to your goals and devices in the Real World. Washington State correct?"

Anna nodded silently.

"Hm. Or we can have someone guard you and wait for your King to collect you as I'm sure you know he inevitably will."

Anna's face twisted a little.

Sarah found it amusing how expressive the spindly teenage monster was.

"…You said three choices?" Anna prompted politely.

"Before we tell you, please answer us," the Chief said, "We don't know much about Halloween besides what we've heard from Santa Claus and Jack Skellington. However, we find it hard to believe that any Holiday inhabitant would leave their town by choice."

Anna didn't react.

The Governor leaned forward and lowered her voice, "I only ask you this because we believe leaving behind your Holiday will be more damaging to your sense of self and sanity than anything else. I'm sure you sense this is the truth."

Anna's mouth formed a grim line, and she felt her joints tense and lock.

"What could chase you away from something your soul is meant for?"

"Must I answer?"

They both nodded.

The Chief explained, "It would be irresponsible for us to interfere in another Holiday. There's been enough of that. We must have an excellent reason for helping a Halloween Citizen desert their people. You realize this is what you're doing young lady?"

Anna nodded stiffly again.

"We won't speak about this with our people," the Governor added.

"I can leave," Little Braid piped up.

Anna gave her a sidelong look. She knew that personality….

Annalise had long figured out why she had gravitated toward the Thanksgiving Spirit.

Little Braid's personality was almost the same as Anna's when the skeleton was alive.

The skeleton hadn't noticed before, but the American Indian girl made her realize just how different of a person Anna was in death.

She blamed the fear. She used to be so much more confident, jumping into situations and figuring things out as she went.

Little Braid was like that. The only main difference was how logical Anna used to be. Little Braid was a little more...shoot from the hip, so to speak. A bit nosey and definitely more emotional. But she wasn't a prying busybody.

"You can stay," Anna muttered.

Her hosts waited for her answer.

The eight-foot-tall skeleton never looked smaller nor more fragile.

The leaders looked sorry for her but didn't back down.

"I…" Anna clicked her teeth loudly. "I wasn't originally running away forever. I just….it's been a bad week and I miss my family. A lot."

She scowled. "My little sister…she's getting herself hurt. I'm sure it's because she blames herself for what happened. I need to make sure she'll be okay. I just want to see my family for myself."

They didn't interrupt, but the leaders didn't look very happy.

"Once," she almost begged, "Just once. Just to prove to myself that they would be okay without me. I was going to go back to Halloween afterward, hopefully catching your gate before you closed it. I didn't think that far ahead. I was a little spiteful earlier, so I was fine with everyone thinking I was actually running away."

"But something changed?" the Chief prompted when Anna's pause stretched on.

The skeleton hung her head. "I…I…learned that the way I died… it wasn't just some stupid accident…" She looked up with a painful squint. "I'm mad, but not mad enough to go after the boys in my class responsible for what happened. They were just idiots," she clarified.

"…"

"I learned someone from Town is…" she trailed off and clenched her fist. "Someone from Town murdered me."

The Chief and Governor glanced at each other in shock.

Little Braid looked on in silent horror. She made a strange squeak but bit her tongue to keep quiet.

"Jack assured me that Halloween Citizens don't mean harm to humans," the Chief said blankly eyes narrowed.

Anna scowled at Jack's name, "That's true. But they weren't a Citizen when they killed me."

The Governor opened her mouth to ask for details before she shut it. They got the answer they needed. They didn't need to pry.

Still, she couldn't comprehend that someone would harm a fellow Citizen, regardless of their holiday.

"Very well. You'll join us when we leave," she said stiffly, not even needing to consult the Chief. They were always on the same page.

Anna breathed out sharply. Not quite a sigh, more of a stressful huff.

"And when Jack comes looking for you, which I'm sure he will, we'll send him in your direction."

Anna jolted and stepped back with a growl, " _What?!"_

"He needs to know of this," the Chief snapped, "This is a serious issue among his Citizens. Is he not the King?"

"Of course, but…"

"Then I'm sure as King, he needs to know one of his own harmed another."

 _He knows! Trust me HE KNOWS!_

"I'm not going back!"

"That's your choice," the Governor argued, "Not our business, though we wish to discourage you. But Jack deserves a chance to convince you to come back."

"He deserves the chance to assure you you're safe," the Chief reiterated.

Anna snarled, more at the cruel irony than anger, though that was a part of it.

"Please just let me go," she pleaded.

"We can't do that. We leave in an hour after the Thanks on the tree are switched out. Stay near Little Braid. She'll make sure you're in the right place at the right time."

Anna clenched her fists, even the cracked one, her bones shaking weakly as she stared down at the golden red leaves at her shoes.

She didn't even ask what switching out the Thanks meant. She was a little too focused on not crying to say anything.

The Chief and Governor left after a long awkward moment, leaving Anna and Little Braid alone.

Little Braid frowned.

"You okay?"

"No."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No."

"Okay…"

Three more seconds and Anna suddenly turned on her heel and speed-walked toward the nearest alley with her coat rippling behind her, out of sight of strangers.

Little Braid hesitated, bothered by how smoothly the skeleton naturally moved. She needed to stay nearby so the monster wouldn't miss when they needed to leave. But at the same time, she didn't want to disturb her.

After a moment, the spirit followed the skeleton.

Under the table, the forgotten Halloween animals stared at each other, completely still.

Jasper glared at the dog, looking for any sign Zero knew what Anna was talking about.

"Zero…do you think she knew we were listening?"

" _She forgot we were here, I'm sure…"_

"…I'm not sure what to think…"

" _That's new…"_

"Idiot. Do you really believe someone we know killed her?"

" _I don't know,"_ the dog whined softly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Jasper purred thoughtfully, more to himself, "She said they weren't a Citizen when they murdered her, but they couldn't be a Citizen currently unless they died and arrived _after_ her. But she's the only new arrival we've had in years. Interesting."

Zero was silent. He didn't know everything, but at least he had more pieces of the puzzle than the dumb cat.


	29. Chapter 29: The Human World

**Halloween is just around the corner my freakish friends! Updates are going to be a little more frequent from here on out. Next are just review replies, so please skip ahead to the story if you so wish.**

 **Thank you everyone for such lovely reviews!**

 **NeonArt1: I'm glad you like the story. It's your first NBC fanfiction? I'm honored. 4 days? Wow. I'm impressed.**

 **Artistgirl16: I have some issues with moving things along, so more often than not cliffhangers pop up. Glad you loved the last chapter. Can't help but notice you like Tricked Out. Cool. I like it too. Aria is a good writer.**

 **Writerchic36: I'm good at killing people with suspense it seems. I'm also good at killing characters in general. I literally have thought out the deaths of every Undead monster in this story. I might write a couple spin off prequels later.**

 **Shepherd89: Thank you. I try. You guys can't see, but my computer files have on average 5-15 versions of a chapter before I finally go "screw it" and post the "best" one. Sometimes I regret it if I come up with something really cool later, but can't use it without ruining the continuity.**

 **Multyfangirl19: Glad you're noticing the details. That will come in handy later.**

* * *

Chapter 29

The Human World

* * *

The Monsters listened to Little Braid's rambling story, not quite following half the time.

From what he could discern…

Nevermind. This young woman was all over the place.

She seemed to lie a lot. Things didn't match up, like how Little Braid pretended to not remember Anna's name before. And she seemed to be leaving out a few things.

Anna _was_ here…that much was evident to Jack. But Little Braid's strange words and flighty speech were hard to follow.

Little Braid had trailed off into muttering to herself as they walked.

"Turkeys…" she whispered, "We don't worship…I wonder what Anna meant….She seemed to like the pie…but where did it go? It's not like she has a throat. She seemed alright, but that chair couldn't have been comfortable…I still can't believe she ate the grasshopper…but that is normal for you I suppose…"

Jack snapped out of his attempts to unravel Little Braid's story and looked up, the leaves at his feet crinkling as he came to a stop, Sally almost running into him.

"Shrieks above!" gasped Zeldabourne.

None of the monsters were prepared for the wall of warm smells to hit them and assault their fine-tuned senses like mustard gas as they stepped into Little Braid's town.

The overpowering hearty scent of warm cooked turkey, honey, bread, and hundreds of other kinds of hearty dinner food smacked the Halloween Citizens to a standstill.

Sally recognized the smell of Pumpkin Spice at least. They all most certainly recognized that.

Logically, Helgamine recognized cooked meat when she smelled it, but there was no underlying tone of rotten flesh or spoiled vegetables that she was familiar with.

Halloween smelt heavily of candy, slightly rotten flesh, pumpkins, and maple syrup mostly with some variation depending on the weather. It was a lovely smell that they hardly ever noticed. It was as normal as the smell of salty air to someone who lived by the sea.

Quite frankly, the place stank to the human nose as they were reminded on a recent occasion.

But this smell was too…rich…too _meaty._

"Uh…you okay?" Little Braid asked cautiously at their shocked faces. That _was_ shock on their faces, right? She couldn't tell.

Nevermore coughed, "What _is_ that? _Cranberries?!"_ The bird made such a funny expression it was like he was tasting the bitter berries for himself. He actually liked cranberries. Straight off the bush of course. Not swimming in a sea of sugar, though the idea sounded tempting. Not quite candy, but close.

Jack hopped a little. "What a delightful smell!"

The witches, covering their large noses, stared at Jack while Sally sighed at his enthusiasm and giggled.

Little Braid blinked. "Uhhh…"

"It's certainly a… _pleasant_ smell," Helgamine admitted, staring sideways at Jack, "But it's a little too strong for my taste."

"It's reminding me that we haven't had dinner yet," Sally quipped, her yarn hair falling into her face a little as she paused to tighten her stitches behind her knees. That fall earlier popped a few.

Jack and the others laughed, even as Little Braid looked more confused.

"I've never been here long enough to appreciate your town. It's more colorful than I expected," Jack said with a grin. "How _do_ you get that bright red! Next to gold too? I dare say it's a luxurious looking holiday you have, Ms. Braid."

Sally took his hand for fear he'd run off singing.

* * *

 _Two Minutes Later_

" _JACK! Come see this!"_

"Is that a turkey?! I've never seen a real one! It's much larger than I expected."

"Well excuse _you,"_ a shriveled old Turkey scowled.

"Everyone, please!" begged Sally. She and (surprisingly) Jack were the only ones still sticking close to a somewhat concerned looking Thanksgiving Spirit.

Little Braid for one, wasn't sure what to do when the excited (and curious) other three Halloween spirits ran off in different directions as something caught their eyes.

Jack frowned and impatiently clenched his fist, torn by his curiosity and his worry. What he wouldn't give to explore for himself.

"Ah yes, everyone perhaps we can just…" he started, acutely aware of Thanksgiving Citizens staring from doorways and hurriedly getting out of the way as they came down the street.

Little Braid jolted at a crash as a pie plate slipped off a windowsill when the Gatekeeper pecked for a taste.

"Wh-?-shoo!" a woman snarled harshly as she rushed outside, broom in hand to chase the raven away from the feast leftovers.

"Terribly sorry madam," Nevermore apologized sincerely, flapping a foot in the air to avoid the coming swipe.

She was going to hit him over a pie of all things! What a cow.

The lady sputtered in confusion, broom stiffly raised above her head. Her eyes were wide and her mouth in a thin line.

Nevermore perched on the windowsill, trying to decide if he should offer to clean up or not. On one wing, it wasn't very polite to make an _unwanted_ mess and not clean up. On the other, he wasn't sure he'd have enough energy for their rescue mission if he shapeshifted.

The stunned lady yelped as her broom was rudely pulled from her hands.

"My word!" she sputtered.

Helgamine frowned as she inspected the smooth wood and soft bristles, tracing a long fingernail down the side creepily.

The witch noticed the sharp intake of breath at the sight of her green-grey skin, crooked frame and freakish nose.

"What sort of device is this?"

The woman stared down at the shorter creature, confused as to how the witch was able to reach the broom from her height and too dumbstruck at the sight to be actively afraid. That skeleton earlier already threw away the concept of what should be dangerous or not. Such a sweet girl, once you got past her spindly looks. But still, a _witch?!_

"….it's a broom," a small voice supplied.

Helga glanced around the woman to see a young pilgrim child clutch the stiffened lady's apron.

He stared, long blond locks obscuring his wide brown eyes, but he didn't seem fearful.

It was throwing the witch off, but she chalked it up to Anna's possible interfering and that perhaps monsters don't look as scary in the quickly fading daylight while your mother is beside you.

"I can see that lad," Helgamine said, her voice no less rasping and witchy, though with a slightly mellow tone. "But how can you fly it?"

The mother's lips pursed, but the boy giggled. This lady was funny, just like the skeleton with the funny voice.

His mother wasn't as amused. Skeletons and talking animals were strange, but… _witches?!_

"It can't fly! It's for sweeping the floor!"

"Hmmph. Waste of wood I think. If you can't make something multipurpose, I don't see the point of having it." The witch roughly handed the broom off and just walked away.

"Don't mind Helga," the Gatekeeper squawked, as he picked up another large shard of pie plate in his beak and deposited it in a nearby empty bucket. "My _humblest_ apologies about the plate."

He flew off down the street toward a growing crowd.

It was mostly seniors and children.

The lady finally found her voice. "…it's…fine…"

The older men and women were watching Zeldabourne walk around their main square looking at the various shops while the children were shyly trying to approach Jack and Sally.

Jack couldn't help himself and let go of Sally's hand to jog up to the massive tree in the center of town and the old man sitting on the small brick garden wall around it. In the back of his head, he scolded himself. They didn't have ti—Oooh what an interesting tree!

Zelda smirked at the human resembling kids, flashing her creepy grin as she joined up with the others.

Sally's slight slasher grin was creepy in its own right, though the poor ragdoll didn't understand that many of the Thanksgiving children couldn't tell the difference between Zelda's tease and her genuine kindness.

Her smile fell abruptly as one little girl ducked away and behind the corner of a shop.

Sally wrung her hands and quickly went to Jack's side.

"Jack we…"

"Sally! Look at these papers!" He didn't hear her. He threw his arms wide to show off the large tree in the middle of town decorated with odd hand-shaped papers of various colors.

The white and colored paper decorations danced with the sparse bright red leaves in an almost shimmering effect as the wind blew.

"Mr. Ruben here was just explaining," the skeleton gestured to a short, amused looking man beside him. The man's dark leathery skin seemed stretched tight at his deep brown eyes, indicative of many years of smiling. "Every day throughout the year their children, and whoever wishes to, traces their hands on paper, then they color them and add a beak and eyes to make a turkey drawing! Rather spectacular creativity! Though I am curious as to why…"

The old man chuckled. "Your daughter said you'd ask that."

Sally stiffened.

The Gatekeeper snorted while the witches chuckled at the mistake.

Monsters aren't dumb. They were at least aware of how similar Anna looked to the Pumpkin King, especially with the costume style she chose. It was such a silly coincidence.

"Pay up Helga. You bet ten souls a _Christmas_ citizen was going to say it," Zeldabourne whispered before Helga hit her on the foot with her broom.

"And _you_ said those loudmouth drunk _St. Patricks_ were going to spit out assumptions first!" she hissed back.

Luckily for them, Jack didn't hear about the little bet among his Citizens until much later.

Jack flinched momentarily. "Ah…Pardon me…but she's not my daughter."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Jack ignored Nevermore's poorly concealed snickering while Sally rolled her eyes.

"I'm _sure."_

"Just checking sir. In my experience, teenagers don't tend to be so rebellious except to their parents." He didn't give Jack the chance to retort, "As for the papers, every day all year we make a hand turkey and write what we're thankful for that day. Then on our holiday, after the Feast, we switch out a human's Thanks, one of the red leaves, with one of our own and bring the human thanks to the Real World."

Sally, distracted for the moment asked curiously, "Then why are there still red leaves up there?"

The man shook his head sadly, "Some humans refused to be thankful for anything, and we're unable to pick off their leaves. Some leaves have been up there for years, shriveling due to a human's refusal to appreciate what they have. Malcontent breeds in their hearts until the leaf dies and the human…well…we're as much connected to jealousy and greed as we are thankfulness and remembrance."

The old man had a funny look on his face as if he was quoting someone.

"I see…"

"Do you?"

Sally nodded.

"You should have seen this morning. The entire tree was all red. It's a rather spectacular show to see everyone working to tear off leaves, then tie the papers on the branches. Your Annalise actually helped."

"…You let her?"

"Well, she ran headfirst into the tree. She was a little too fast to stop. The crash knocked a couple Thanks down. I supposed that counts as helping."

Zeldabourne burst out laughing while Helgamine facepalmed and Nevermore sighed.

Jack huffed. "I take it she wasn't very subtle."

"Scared the daylights out of half our town. I suppose _you_ should be proud. Though I get the feeling we may be a little easier to scare than humans," the man said hesitantly.

Something slipped past his smile. Fear.

Anna and her childish clumsiness may have prepared them, somewhat, but these creatures were still terrified of the monsters. Their wary glances and stiffened speech betrayed them.

Sally interrupted before Jack agreed with Ruben without thinking.

"Is she alright?"

The man eased at the humorous memory and laughed. "Knocked herself out-"

Zeldabourne laughed harder, and Nevermore snorted as he perched on the brim of her hat.

The witches seemed fine with laughing at their charge behind her back, something the bird had an ounce of respect for. The most he seemed to muster up was secondhand embarrassment for the girl.

She had once told him, after a long discussion about the Sherlock Holmes books, that she was very much aware of what a klutze she could be for a monster with supposedly near perfect balance and reflexes (keyword: supposedly). She blamed it entirely on the fear. It was making her "act weird".

Not the vocabulary he would choose, but he got the sense she disliked herself for the injurious tendency to overreact in fright. She had more bumps and crashes than he managed broken bones in a decade.

On a separate note, he was sure Fate was reaching for a record with him. The Gatekeeper had been injured two too many times in the past month, each because of Annalise!

Nevermore absently rolled his wing, still sore from his earlier run in with Jersey. He glanced around for a second before running his sharp beak down his feathers to straighten them out.

"Knocked herself out for a couple hours. But she seemed alright, I suppose. The healers weren't sure what to do, so we just locked her up in the jail to keep her from running off again and waited."

Little Braid slipped in her two cents as she came up from apologizing to the lady with the pie plate. "Some jail. The bars aren't even real."

The man raised an eyebrow at the teenager. "And then _this_ one got herself locked in the room with the skeleton by climbing through the window."

Jack looked at Little Braid questioningly.

"I was interrogating her," Little Braid said crossly.

Zeldabourne wheezed hysterically, and Nevermore cracked whatever composure was left.

Little Braid scowled in insult, not sure what she said that was so funny. She eyed the bird most of all, still assuming it was a Halloween Citizen like the more obvious monsters.

Helgamine maintained her facepalm and muttered something about her sister's maturity.

Jack blinked, willing himself not to react. They were really stretching the context for the joke. Interrogation and torture weren't the same things in the right context. He couldn't blame them though. They were already hysterical about Anna running into the tree.

The image of such a crash made him snicker.

Sally gave him a look.

"Jack. We need to find Anna…"

Jack nodded. They didn't have time to explore Thanksgiving, no matter how much he wanted to. It was the first time he was actually in the town and not meeting the leaders in the outskirts in the woods near the Holiday Doors.

"Thank you, Mr. Ruben, but I'm afraid we must be off," he sighed.

"But Jack-."

"We _have_ to retrieve Annalise," Jack interrupted Zeldabourne. He felt awful snapping at her like that. He wanted to explore just as badly as anyone, perhaps more.

The witch shut her mouth and looked down. She put one hand to her forehead. She had forgotten for a minute why they were even there in the first place. How could she?

Ruben hummed and nodded. "Come along then."

"I know where to go Mr. Ruben," Little Braid reminded him.

"Just seeing you folks off."

The girl sighed and nodded.

As they left, Sally looked back to the town center where a large group of those staying home stuck around to see the monsters go.

One little girl shyly waved goodbye.

Sally smiled and waved back.

Once they were gone someone spoke up.

"That Anna…girl…talked about Halloween citizens being all different kinds of creatures, but I wasn't expecting…"

" _Witches?"_

"Calm down Mary…this isn't Salem. They're not Real witches."

* * *

To any human, the sight of a group of odd, horrible looking creatures emerging from the woods outside a small town in Washington, United States would have make them double take, if not scream in terror.

They probably wouldn't have even noticed the perfectly normal looking human standing among them.

However, when that human witness, whoever they may be, were to look once again at the strange shapes, they would only see empty space. Such is the case with most monsters. You only see them once. They're far too experienced for anything else.

"We parted ways here, then I went back to get you all," Little Braid said, checking her shoulder bag quickly. She pulled out a small stack of red leaves and riffled through them like papers. "I'll take you to where Anna's house is, but she might not be there. I really can't help you look for her. I still have a job to do."

Jack nodded. "I'll follow you."

If Jack gave the other monsters a signal, Little Braid didn't see it.

The little raven and the two witches didn't even say anything before nodding and running or flying off in separate directions.

Little Braid clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming when the witches melted into inky shadows and slithered into the distance, street lambs blinking out for a second when they passed over them. They weren't using their brooms for the moment. Too noticeable.

Jack smirked a little. He was getting worried that Little Braid wasn't afraid of them anymore. She was an excellent actor in any case.

"H-how…"

The girl yelped as Sally touched her shoulder.

"It's just Fading. Nothing to worry about."

"Sally…could you…" Jack said.

Sally nodded, "I'll stay here in case Anna comes back this way."

Jack wasn't too keen on leaving Sally alone, but he knew she could take care of herself to a point.

He went up to her and put his hands on her shoulders gently.

She put her hands on top of his. They touched foreheads.

The nearby teenager made a face and stepped back to give them space. Little Braid looked up at a suddenly very interesting leaf barely hanging on to its branch. It could fall any moment! That leaf seemed very _very_ interesting.

"Please be safe," Jack whispered.

" _You_ be safe," Sally insisted, "Those demons? They want to hurt _you_ and _Anna._ They don't care about me. If anything happens…"

Jack chuckled brightly, grinning like a self-diagnosed madman, "We'll be okay Sally. We'll just find her and bring her home before those villains find out she's even here."

He sounded so sure.

"What if they already know? The demon in the Hinterlands…" she closed her eyes and let go of his hands to cover them.

"Sally…"

"Remember when you got shot down during Christmas, Jack?" Sally whispered.

Jack nodded, "Of course."

"I don't want to feel like that again."

Jack let go of her shoulders to pull her into a hug.

"Like….like I lost you…" Sally whispered.

"That's not going to happen, my dearest friend."

Sally scoffed.

Jack leaned back slightly and peered at her. "What?"

"Of course, you'll be fine. Being destroyed by an arrogant devil isn't quite dramatic enough for your second death," Sally murmured. "It's very close though. The missile had a better chance."

Jack groaned, "Oh dear, I'm not _that_ dramatic, am I?"

"A bit."

Jack glared at Little Braid while Sally snickered under her tears.

"Hey. You're the ones being all mushy in front of me!" the teen asserted. "This isn't Valentines Day!"

Truth be told, she didn't know much about Valentine's Day except the basics, so it was shot in the dark to say that.

Sally distracted Jack with a short kiss. "Hurry."

Jack nodded, "We're _all_ going home today. I _promise._ "

Sally cracked a worried smile. "You hate promises. Promises, vows, deals. I guess I know why now."

Jack's smile strained a bit, but he composed himself quickly, "Lead on, Miss Braid!"

The Thanksgiving Citizen scoffed and stood up from tightening her boots. "Right. You _aren't_ dramatic. Keep up." She took off running to the nearest street, sliding down a short hill.

Jack raised his eyebrows at the holiday spirit who was clearly uninformed if she told _him_ to "keep up."

Sally retreated back into the shadows of the woods, watching as her friends disappeared from view.

Jack followed Little Braid through the darkened streets for several minutes without a word between them, passing a large building complex in the distance.

They didn't notice the decaying flyers scattered on various trees saying "SOULING RACE: October 31".

"Mr. Skellington?" Little Braid slowed to a jog.

Jack looked down at her. "Yes?"

"Is…Anna…in danger?"

Jack didn't answer immediately.

"I just assumed…" the girl muttered. "I assumed this was just…her running away and you wanting to bring her back."

"That's still what it is."

"But…you said… d-demons…and Ms…uh… Sally seemed worried…"

"Things are a little more complicated than I think you grasped. You needn't worry about it."

"But Anna…"

"Are you friends now?" Jack asked curiously.

Little Braid huffed, "Sort of…"

"She'll be okay. Just stay out of our way, alright Miss?"

Little Braid scowled and glanced back at Jack for a moment, stunned to see he wasn't actually behind her. It took a moment before she caught a glimpse of him darting between the shadows of the trees she ran alongside.

Little Braid relaxed for a moment, and her face dropped to a distracted worry.

She sucked in a breath. "I was assigned to stay behind to greet you because there's something my leaders wanted to tell you. They couldn't stay behind themselves."

"I should expect not. It's your Holiday! I'm terribly sorry you had to give up some of your own time for us as it is."

Little Braid stopped and sidled behind a large tree in case a human came outside their house.

"Anna had to say something to convince the Governor and Chief to let her come with us."

Jack nodded, slipping his thin form into a nearby shadow.

Little Braid's human appearance wouldn't turn too many heads, even with her outdated clothing, but Jack's spindly frame was too dangerous to ignore if he didn't take extra precautions.

Little Braid scowled at him. "Sorry about being so rude earlier…I was trying to guess how you would react if you cared enough about Anna for me to say what she told us."

"Interesting way of going about it. You didn't seem too rude. Did you learn anything, young lady?"

"Not really," Little Braid huffed, "Look, I kind of like Anna. She didn't seem anything like we expected of monsters, so I was a little shocked...but she said…someone from your town hurt her."

Jack glanced down the street. "I see…I have been rather ignorant of…."

"No! You don't understand! She said someone from your town _hurt_ her. _Murdered_ her."

Little Braid stared at his face for a long moment, trying to gauge the skeleton's reactions. She struggled to read his empty sockets and set jaw. But there were other little things she saw. The slight clench in his hands. The way he slumped slightly. She was a bit disappointed honestly. She was expecting…rage…justice? A far more extreme reaction at least.

"…I see…"

"So?! What are you going to do about it?!" Little Braid complained, "If one of your own hurt another, isn't it your responsibility to—"

"Miss Braid!"

The girl snapped her mouth shut quickly enough to bite her tongue and stared at the other Holiday.

Jack's voice sounded a little forced. "My apologies. Thank you for telling me. I will handle it."

"Does it have something to do with the…the _demons,_ " her voice dropped to a faint whisper. No one had ever told her straight out that demons were real.

"Please don't involve yourself. Your leaders would never forgive me."

"But!" Little Braid couldn't find the rest of her sentence as the taller creature stared at her chillingly. She merely looked down with a short nod and a tremble in her throat.

His glare turned her spine to ice.

She realized just how drastically the Halloween Citizens were "stifling" themselves. They were purposely trying not the scare her badly before.

"This way," she muttered.

There was a shift in the branches of a nearby tree and Jack sent a quick glare at the offending noise. There was nothing there, though he wasn't convinced there wasn't something there a moment before.

Time was of the essence.

* * *

"He's here…"

"…Hurry and find her, then."

"…But sir…that _Halloween_ spirit…"

"He wouldn't be a problem if you had already _found_ the little brat. How hard is it to find a eight foot tall _skeleton!?"_


	30. Chapter 30: Shingles

**And the weeklong countdown to Halloween begins! Sorry the chapter's so short, but I'm going to try updating every day this week to make up for it.**

 **(7)**

* * *

Chapter 30

Shingles

* * *

"Derrick, the turkey's done!"

"…Kay…" the man called from the living room.

"Baby girl, put your dolls up and go get your brother."

The daughter groaned dramatically, "Why do I always have to do _everything?"_

The mother rolled her eyes as she closed the oven door with her foot.

"Derrick! Turn the TV off. It's time for dinner." She pulled off her oven mitts to open up the oven bag she cooked the turkey in.

The dad mumbled something and called back, "It's almost halftime!"

"Who's winning? Us or them?"

"…Them…"

"Well, _that's_ not going to change anytime soon."

Eventually, the dad sighed and hit the recorder on the television.

A few minutes later the perfectly ordinary human family in Yeoman, Washington was seated around their dining room table with a huge traditional Thanksgiving meal in front of them.

"So, who wants to say grace?" the mom asked cheerily looking at her children expectantly.

"Grace," the son muttered sarcastically, so quiet that his Gameboy was almost louder than him.

"Buddy put it away."

The girl stuck her tongue out at her brother.

The boy just rolled his eyes and made a face back, slouching further in his chair, the wood creaking annoyingly under him.

"Martin, listen to your mother."

Martin just ignored his dad and continued to press away at the buttons. He let out a shout of shock as the Gameboy was suddenly pulled out of his hand and set carefully next to the father's empty plate.

"Hey! You can't just…"

"I bought it. So, yes, I can. You'll get it back _after_ we all have dinner as a family, just like we do every year."

The boy just scowled.

"So? What are you thankful for, sweetie?" the mom asked.

"Nothing."

The mom frowned and stifled a sigh.

There was a slight shift in the air as something that couldn't properly be seen by human eyes crushed four red leaves in their hand before blowing the soft red dust at the family with a sharp puff of breath across their palm.

The spirit gently whispered something in the little girl's ear.

The girl raised her hand excitedly. "Well, I'm thankful for something Mama!"

"And what's that, baby girl?"

"I'm thankful for…" the girl hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "You! And Daddy. And Grandma and Grandpa, even though they couldn't come, and for Spot and Mr. Jingles, and aaaaall my friends at school. And it's really cool having school at the library while the school's closed. Ms. Northrop tells really good stories." She frowned for a moment, "And I'm really really thankful Marty's friend is okay even though his big sister died. He's a nice guy. He helped me pick out my bike at the store. Remember, Dad?"

The mom and dad glanced at each other uncomfortably.

"We don't need to be talking about that, honey…"

"But you're right," the dad said, "I'm very thankful that I still have both of you munchkins."

"I'm thankful neither of you got hurt in the fire," the mom added.

Marty shifted and scratched the scab on his knee that he got running out of the building last Halloween. It's been a month, so it was pretty much healed anyway.

"Yeah…" Martin rolled his eyes before the words in the back of his throat itched enough, "Fine….I'm thankful mom's not a bad cook."

"Well crap, you stole mine," the dad laughed.

"Derrick!"

"Don't repeat that, kids."

"What?" the girl asked in confusion, "Crap?"

The dad howled while his wife glared at him.

Martin snorted.

Governor Hale cracked a smile at the laughter as the dad started coming up with more and more ridiculous thanks in a joking attempt to replace the one his son "stole." She was a little curious about this "fire" they mentioned but didn't think much of it.

She looked up at a figure outside the family's dining room window waving frantically.

* * *

"What do you mean, _you lost her?"_

The spirit self-consciously brushed a hand over the dyed feathers stuck in his dark hair. "I'm sorry Ma'am. She's quite a fleet-footed creature."

"She did hear me say you were going to her family's home _eventually?"_ the older Anglo woman sighed.

"Yes. But…she seemed a bit impatient."

The Governor let out a long unladylike groan, suddenly feeling the many years of her life as a spirit sink into the illusion of her younger body.

Why couldn't that skeleton just stay near one of them like requested? If she weren't back at the portal with the rest of them when the night was over, they would have to close it without her.

Sarah Josepha Hale was still hoping the Halloween Citizen would come to her senses and go home to her Holiday.

The Thanksgiving Citizen breathed deeply to calm herself. "Any word from home?"

The man looked confused.

"About the Halloween King. Has he made an appearance yet?"

The Native American resembling spirit straightened suddenly. "Ah. Nothing that I've heard yet. Sorry."

Sarah nodded and gestured for the man to follow her. They still had more houses to visit. Time was always of the essence when you're the personification of a Holiday.

The two spirits quickstepped down the long driveway.

"You really think he'll even show up?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Sweet Water, if you decided to leave our holiday…"

"Governor, I would never—"

"Don't interrupt. _IF_ you ever decided to run away from home, I would personally chase you down with every ounce of power I have to try convincing you to come home to your wife and daughter. I would do anything short of hog-tying you myself."

"I'm not sure you could if you wanted to," Sweet Water joked, smiling down at the beloved town co-leader. He wasn't a scrawny boy by any measure. Any human's first glance would put him at thirty years old at least. And he was very fit.

"At that note, Squanto would be with me anyway, so I'd leave that part to him. In any case, you see my point. I wouldn't expect anything less from any other Holiday."

"Dad!"

Sweet Water and the Governor jumped at the shout down the darkened street in the human world.

To human ears, it was a wispy rattle in the evening air.

Little Braid huffed as she pulled to a stop, her hair flopping in her face as she caught her breath.

"About time, missy," Sweet Water snorted.

"They took a while, Dad," Little Braid complained, "How behind am I?!"

"About 500 households. But your mother and I have been keeping up."

"Even with your own humans?"

The Governor chuckled, "Little Braid, your parents have been part of Thanksgiving for many more years than you. They can handle a few hundred Thanks on their workload. We're slipping a bit, but we're on schedule for now." The lady looked behind Little Braid for a moment with a slight frown. "I take it King Jack is here?"

"Well, yeah, of course he's…" Little Braid choked in surprised when she turned behind her. There was no one there. "He was just behind….Where'd he…"

"I'm right here Ms. Braid," Jack said from right next to them, his form barely visible in the shadow of the towering hedge they stood next to.

All three Thanksgiving Citizens screamed in shock and surprise as they jumped back, even the Governor who was half expecting it.

Sweet Water stumbled back, and his foot slipped off the curb. He caught himself on a mailbox before he went hip deep in a storm drain.

Jack couldn't help himself and cackled a little before he managed to stifle it. He let them catch their breath for a moment. "Hehe. I thought you knew where I was."

"NO!" Little Braid hissed, breathing hard. And she thought Anna was startling.

"My apologies then," Jack said graciously. He bowed to the Governor, his thin body looming into the light, "Madam."

"Hello Jack," Hale sighed harshly. "It's been a while."

"Nearly a year. We really must try to meet more than just on New Years, Governor."

"Agreed. But that's not the concern at the moment. I'm assuming you know of the situation."

Jack's thin skeleton form shifted, "I know. But I'm afraid _you_ don't."

Sarah's eyes narrowed at the stick figure freak. "Pardon me?"

"I don't have time to give you a full explanation even if I wanted to, but please, get your people to leave this town as quickly as possible."

"Mr. Skellington, that's a rather outrageous request to make," she leaned forward and held up a finger threateningly, "This is _our_ Holiday you…"

Jack knelt down and took the lady's shoulder making all three other spirits squirm at the almost aggressive contact.

The woman stiffened at the sensation of sharp, hard fingers lightly digging into her flesh. It frightened her for a moment, but…

There was something about the action that disturbed her.

Was Jack…trembling?

She could feel the slight vibration of his bones echo through her shoulder and there was a faint scratching sound in her ear as his hand bones hit each other minutely.

"Milady Hale," Jack pleaded, his other hand outstretched, "Please. I am trying to be as _careful_ as I possibly can when I say that anyone around Anna or me at the moment is in extreme danger. _Please. Where is she?"_

Sarah glared at the skeleton, spine stiff in fear and anger for a moment.

But Jack didn't budge. It was one of those moments when he wished he had eyes. Maybe she would believe him then. He was going to have to resort to scaring her if it came to that. He didn't want to be that desperate. Everything the holidays have worked toward to understand each other would be swept away in an instant.

Sweet Water stepped forward but stopped at Sarah's outstretched hand.

"If I can spare a minute, _you can_."

Jack stared at her for a moment, then let go.

The governor brushed her shoulder. "She was supposed to stay with Sweet Water here but she, how would you say? 'Gave him the slip'?"

Jack nodded. "Do you know where her family…ah..." He struggled with the word for a moment. "…lives?"

"No, but thankfully…" the Thanksgiving Citizen reached into her bag and pulled out a small stack of red leaves.

"Those belong to her family I presume?"

Holiday Spirits often tried to memorize most of the streets of the towns they visit, but individual addresses were often a little much for them. Even Santa Claus had trouble.

Sarah nodded. "We can find them through these. Explain, Jack."

The skeleton eyed the other two Thanksgiving spirits, but he didn't rise from his crouch. His coattails brushed the concrete.

Sarah didn't look like she was about to dismiss the teenager and her father anytime soon.

Jack chose his words carefully. "You are…aware that magic and…such…are not limited to our Holidays?"

"Of course."

"And are you aware that there are creatures in the human world who have their own ambitions and care little for us."

"Where are you going with this Skellington?"

"There's a certain demon…"

Sarah's mouth disappeared into a thin line and her eyes narrowed at the word.

Jack didn't dare look away to check Little Braid and Sweet Water's expressions.

"A demon who has a…vested… _interest_ in Annalise."

They paled.

"A demon…" Governor Hale's voice was soft, disbelieving, but she couldn't look away from Jack's sockets.

Little Braid looked a little sick while her father looked horrified and confused.

Jack nodded, hoping he wouldn't have to go further.

"What do they want with her?"

"To take her away," Jack said shortly.

"I…" Sarah looked horrified, hand to her mouth as she turned away.

"Governor…"

"Jack if I had known…" Sarah whispered guiltily.

Pity was often difficult for a monster to grasp at times, but Jack managed.

"But you didn't. Please. Just keep your people out of the way." He was surprised by how easily she believed him. He suspected she simply had no reason to think he would make such a thing up.

He wasn't, of course, but it was the principle.

Her trust was impressive given their relationship.

* * *

Two human men walked down a street offshoot of Yeomen's downtown area.

One nodded politely to an older woman as they passed.

His cohort elbowed him.

"What?"

The elbower just smirked.

"Just playing the part," the other defended.

His companion was silent for a moment.

"We've been on this street before," he said eventually.

"It must have doubled back."

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"If it did, we have a problem."

"In what way…"

The companion refused to answer as a group of teenagers skipping out on their families' Thanksgiving evening passed by, apparently drunk.

They waited until the loud humans were out of human earshot.

"It means it's consciously avoiding us. It means it _knows_."

"Knows what?"

"She knows we're looking for her, you sniveling idiot."

The man who had nodded to the old lady paused in his step, clearly insulted. "How does it even know of us?!"

"How would I know?" the other hissed, skirting around a man running past them, his coat over one arm while he sputtered excuses to his wife over the phone.

"What even is the thing we're looking for?"

"Skeleton."

"I still don't understand that bit."

"Would you shut up and work? It's not like anyone tells me much of anything either. But if the boss wanted us to find some monster, that's what we'll do," he thrust a handkerchief at the other man.

The other man sneered at him and swiped the handkerchief away, sniffing the crusting stains on the cloth. He licked it.

"Spinal fluid," he muttered, refreshing the taste and scent's memory, "If the boss could get a sample of this, how'd it get away from him?"

"Feel free to ask him yourself."

"No thanks…"

They passed a darkened alley, the light of the streetlamps glinting the reflection of their eyes into the dark.

They flashed a dark red before receding into human pupils again.

Their silhouettes disappeared from sight in a moment.

A thin shadow detached from the brick wall and crouched low, peeking out down the street.

The two men were gone.

So was the skeleton after a moment, a single clatter of a roof shingle falling to the ground the only proof anyone was in the alley in the first place.

Apparently, she was going to have to make another detour.


	31. Chapter 31: Eggrolls

**Thanks Aria! You always have the best reviews! It's cool that you noticed how the demons behave normally among humans, while Halloween Citizens are the ones who hide. Goes to show you can't always judge things based on their looks.**

 **I had this written up last night, but I have homework so I didn't have time to revise. Whoops. Hopefully it still makes sense.**

 **(6)**

* * *

Chapter 31

Eggrolls

* * *

James jumped at the sound of shattering.

"Mom?!"

The eleven-year-old set down the stack of plates he was taking to the dining room and rushed to the kitchen.

"Mom, are you-."

"Don't come in!" Thim snapped.

James ground to a halt at the door way and stared at the scene.

His mother had dropped one of the pies and the dish had shattered upon contact with the floor, splashing hot apples and filling across the floor.

James' eyes drew to a splotch of red. "You're hurt..."

"It's just a scratch. Go put some shoes on or you'll get cut."

James nodded. "I'll get the first aid kit, too."

When he came back a minute later, Thim had already cleaned up most of the mess with one of the old t-shirts she kept under the sink.

The eleven-year-old was silent as he carefully helped her gather up the sharp shards and put them in a small cardboard box.

He eyed a wine glass on the counter above them, specifically the little bit of wine at the bottom.

"You okay…Mommy?"

Thim nodded. "I'm fine baby."

"Did you drop the pie?"

"I must have lost my grip for a second. Nothing to worry about."

James nodded though he didn't look convinced.

"You know, mom," he said cautiously, "We don't have to have everyone come over…we can go out for Thanksgiving."

"I already cooked the turkey, James," Thim sighed reproachfully. "Plus, your cousins will be here soon anyway, don't you want to hang out with them?"

"Not really," James admitted. "They don't really like us."

"All of them? I thought you and Harvey got along."

James put the last piece of glass in the box.

"Not anymore," James shrugged and took the box.

The boy helped his mom up before turning on his heel and leaving the kitchen to take the glass outside to the curb. The garbage men could handle it.

Thim opened her mouth to say something but her son was already gone.

James heard the flapping of wings as his opened the front door and paused. He didn't see anything fly away. The boy frowned but took the box all the way to the curb, thinking nothing of it.

He was just about to head back when the obnoxious blaring of a horn scared him out of his skin.

He stared as a nice car with flashy red paint sped into the driveway a little too fast for his liking and stopped inches from his dad's work car. Likely a rental…

"Hey Jimmy boy!"

"It's 'James'," James muttered as a man practically leaped out the driver's side and lifted the boy up with one arm to give him a noogie.

"Oh Reggie, quit it."

Immediately, James mood soured further. "Hi Aunt Jean." He vaguely noticed their brat of a daughter, his cousin Mildred, climb out the back seat.

The five-year-old looked around, eyes wide while she innocently twirled in her pink dress.

"Hi, Jam-jam," the girl said waving at James, with a smile on her face.

James wasn't fooled. "Hey."

Suddenly, Milly squealed in a pitch no human should be able to reach and ran across the yard. "KITTY!"

James jumped and his eyes widened.

Resting in the sterile dirt of one of the large flower pots on the porch was Lily.

Lily was a small cat for her age, which was only about five. She was a shorthaired feline with a light grayish white tone and racoon style stripes down her slender tail. Her markings on her forehead were grey as were her paws. Her eyes were a bright light blue. She was a very gorgeous cat.

And a major witch. She never liked any human whatsoever, except for one, and always had this weird regal, prissy air about her. More so than James expected from any cat.

"Milly, don't touch that thing! You'll get dirt-"

Jean's complaints were unheard by her daughter, who squealed and picked up a very surprised cat in a death grip. Milly spun around on her heels giggling and squeezing.

Lily's eyes widened and she squeaked. She yowled and growled after a moment when she discovered what had trapped her.

"Please put her down," James said. Not that Lily hating someone wasn't amusing, but he didn't want the cat to get herself in trouble.

"Sweetie why don't you…" Jean reached to take the cat from the little girl.

Lily, not surprisingly, spat at the Aunt. She smelled of thick perfume and lies.

"OW!" Jean yanked her hand back and glared at the cat who used the distraction to wiggle out of Milly's grip and streak away.

"That little…" Jean sneered at the animal and glared at James, rubbing the thin bleeding cuts. "Why hasn't your mother gotten _rid_ of that pest yet."

James took a breath to calm himself. "Lily's part of the family."

"It's a _cat_."

"She's _Anna's_ cat."

Aunt Jeans face softened at that. "Oooh," she cooed as if speaking to someone much younger, "I'm so sorry James. Of course, she is."

Here it comes…

James grimaced as Jean pinched his cheek, her fake nails digging into his skin.

She let go and James rubbed his offended cheek in annoyance. It was almost cliché if it didn't just happen to him like it always did with Jean around.

"I understand that you want to hold on to your sister," Jean said, her voice as fake as her smile as she held his shoulders, "But you can't just let that… _cat_ go on scratching people willy-nilly."

Who says "willy nilly" anymore?"

"She doesn't just scratch people," James said. "She growls at people she doesn't like and scratches people Anna doesn't like."

Reggie snorted.

Aunt Jean laughed awkwardly, her voice strained. "Oh, how silly James. You give that cat far too much credit. Plus, why would our dear Anna ever dislike _me?"_ Aunt Jean put a hand over her heart and bowed her head. "May she rest in peace."

James plastered on a smile to hide his discomfort. "Beats me."

"Let's go inside, babe. Thim's probably burning the mash potatoes waiting for us," Reggie joked, taking his daughter's hand.

"But I want the kitty, Daddy!" Mildred screeched making James wince.

"How about we go inside instead…"

"No! I want to play with the kitty!"

James glared at their backs, rubbing his ear.

Burning the mashed potatoes…as if his mother would do anything waiting on _them_ , much less mess up her cooking.

Uncle Reggie was a big-time lawyer from New York, he worked for the mayor or something. They had money, probably not a million dollars, but enough that they looked down on the rest of the family. As long as James had known him, Uncle Reggie never ceased to tease his brother's wife, even going so far as to call Thim a "mail order bride" once a year or so ago.

Harold usually put up with it, at Thim's request, but Anna was never as forgiving.

Apparently, once before James and Jillian were born, Anna had taken a screwdriver to her "favorite" uncle's BMW. Nice car. Reggie was so mad he started spanking his niece in the driveway, instead of telling his brother first. Harold was furious.

In the end, Anna got out of it, because "she didn't know better" and Reggie should never have touched any child while angry.

But James knew better. Anna told him how earlier that day Reggie and Jean were making fun of Mom's accent behind their parent's backs.

Aunt Jean was a weird one. Always acting strange, as if she was this rich lady with perfect hair and a perfect family. As such, she likely didn't mention her husband's family to her circle of friends.

James almost didn't expect them to show up. They didn't show up to the funeral…

They always thought Anna was a little weird. The black sheep of the family.

" _Which makes sense, I suppose,"_ Aunt Jean had wagged her tongue once to her sister over the phone during a rare visit. She didn't know James and Jillian could hear her from their room next to the guest room. _"I mean the girl was adopted after all. Her birth mother was probably some drug addled prostitute. It would explain the brain damage."_

James walked a little way away to a bush around the corner pathway of the house.

He knelt down until he saw a flash of white-ish gravy fur. He clicked his tongue.

"Here kitty kitty."

Lily slunk out slowly. She sat down in front of him, her tail around her paws. She stared at him a minute before licking the paw that attacked Jean.

"Bad cat," James said, unconvincingly.

He almost imagined the small cat rolling her eyes at him.

James sighed and scratched her under the chin but she shied away.

"You miss her too huh?"

The cat looked at him silently.

"What I'm a thinking?" the boy muttered, looking away, "You're just a cat. You probably don't even realize she's gone."

Lily just stared at him, and blinked once.

James jumped as something warm and soft touched his hand.

"Huh." He ran his hand down the cat's spine.

She leaned into it and purred.

"I guess being the one to feed you for a month pays off. You never let me pet you before."

Anna's cat just purred. She didn't like many other humans, but James fed her and Anna…well…humans don't tend to explain important things to animals. However, due to simply listening to the humans around her she had long figured out why her "mother" didn't come home.

* * *

"…and I said, 'You're honor! This man couldn't possibly have stolen the money as he was with his mistress at the time of the wire transfer."

"Is this really appropriate, Reggie?" Harold asked, tiredly, "There are children here."

"Oh, lighten up, Harry. Half the kids are too young to understand and the other half goes to public school. James, you know what a 'mistress' is right?"

"Reggie!"

Aunt Isabel glared at her loudmouth older brother.

Jean glanced up for a moment before blowing across her freshly touched up nails.

"I'm just asking."

James poked at his food. It was delicious, but he was started to lose his appetite. The chemical smell of Aunt Jean's nail polish wasn't helping.

"James?"

The boy jumped and looked up from his food, "Huh what?"

Aunt Jean huffed and gestured sharply at her nephew. "See Thim? This is what happened when you let your kids play video games all the time. They get this spacey look all the time."

Thim and Harold shared a quick glance. If anything, James had been religiously avoiding video games ever since…

James scowled as his aunt broke into yet another rant as to how his mother and father should raise their children.

"I never let Milly play on those godforsaken devices, there was a study recently proving that video games influence violent behavior."

Milly playing with her stuffed cat down at the "children's side" of the table smiled at the adults at the sound of her name.

Harvey, a boy with a crop of red hair and glasses who was a little older than James smirked.

Milly was like a trained toy dog sometimes. She knew when to do the right tricks.

Harvey's sister May knew exactly what her older brother was thinking and the nine-year old rolled her eyes.

"Did Anna ever play video games?" Uncle Terry, one of Harold's brother-in-laws, said off handedly.

"Terry!" Isabel snapped at her husband. Aunt Isabel was nice. She, her husband Terry, and their son and daughter Harvey and May arrived by taxi not long after Jean, Reggie, and Mildred.

"Whaaat?" Terry said.

James' grip on his fork tightened. They weren't very good at this small talk stuff.

Isabel sighed, "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the funeral…"

Thim let out a strained a smile, "It's alright. Anna knows you would have come if you could. It's not your fault your plane got canceled."

James glanced at the empty seat next to his dad.

He almost choked earlier when he realized his mom had accidentally set an extra place at the table.

No one said anything, thankfully.

Thim had looked so pale when everyone sat down and she realized.

Harold had quietly told her not to worry about it.

"So, Thim," Jean said, blinking her lightly mascaraed eyes, "Are any of your family joining us?"

Thim shook her head, "My mother wasn't able to get the day off and my sister would have had too much trouble pulling the kids out of school to drive up here."

"Ah. It's a shame your mother is working herself so hard. She's what? 65? She should really retire."

"My mother likes to work."

"I'll bet," Reggie muttered into his glass, quiet enough that only James heard him.

Isabel leaned back and looked around, "Everything looks great, Thim." She smiled, eyes belying a tightness.

"Yes. I can barely tell the cranberry sauce is store bought," Jean said.

Thim nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Will your darling little girl be joining us?" Jean asked. "The other one of course."

James cringed.

"Jillian will come down when she's ready," Harold assured.

That was the only other empty seat at the table. The one next to James.

Jillian had disappeared into her room, long before James came back from the doctor with Mark.

"Actually, I don't think your sister had any lunch today. Could you go tell her I made eggrolls?" Thim said, snapping her fingers a little to break James' dazed look.

 _Thank God._

James forced a smile and tried not to look too enthusiastic about getting out of his seat.

His dad handed off a napkin full of Thim's eggrolls as he passed. He hid them in his hoody as he bid a polite "excuse me" to the family.

Isabel stifled a knowing smirk.

Her brother and sister-in-law needed to be nominated for Sainthood, especially after…everything that's happened.

Her eyes fell for a moment as she thought about her niece.

James half ran/half crawled up the stair, careful of his precious cargo.

He slowed as his passed Anna's old room, a hard knot forming in his chest. He stood there for a moment.

Somewhere in his heart, he didn't know where, he cursed Anna for choosing the room everyone would have to walk pass to get to their own rooms.

His hand reached for the silver doorknob instinctively to tell Anna that Mom made eggrolls-

He stiffened. Oh right…

His face took on a stony countenance that didn't need to be on an eleven-year-old's face and he turned away, face blank.

"Jilly?"

He knocked on his twin's door.

No response. He didn't really expect one. He heard the shift of socks on carpet as he slid down to sit against the door.

"Mom sent me."

There was a creak and James felt the wood of the door tense as someone opposite of him on the other side of the door put their weight against it.

"You don't have to come downstairs," James assured, "I'm kind of hoping to hide in there with you actually. Not to scare you away from human contact, but Aunt Jean and Uncle Reggie are here."

"…"

"I got eggrolls?"

"…"

"Yeah I know. Anna probably would have slipped some dye into their wine by now. It'd make their mouths all blue, then we'd be smiling at them and they would think we were actually listening to a word they said." James forced a small laugh and waited a second. He sobered.

"Sis?"

"…"

"We can't keep ending up like this. On opposite sides of a door…"

The silence stretched between them.

The ambiance was only broken by the noise downstairs.

"You haven't said anything for a month, Jilly…"

James set down the eggrolls and tucked up his knees, not quite hugging them but close. "I need you too, you know…"

His ears perked for a moment at the sound of something sliding. He knew that sound too well, courtesy of sharing the same room with his twin until he got his own further down the hallway.

James scrambled to his feet, accidentally smooshing one of the eggrolls into the carpet under his shoe. He picked up the rest and stuffed them in his hoody pockets as he opened the door.

The window was opened and the curtain was blowing the chill November air into the room.

James jogged to the window, smacking the curtains out of his face in time to see Jillian turn her own hoody up and break into a run down the street.

The tree just in reach of the window had a couple new scuff marks in its bark.

"Jillian!" he hissed after her, not loud enough for the adults to hear.

He glanced back at the ajar door and the sounds of their family downstairs.

"Screw it," he muttered, throwing a leg over the window sill.

Lily blinked warily from her place in the pot at the boy as his feet hit the ground.

" _Why do human children have to be so…emotional?"_ she muttered.

The wind blew against her fur and she curled up tighter.

She should talk. She had practically refused to come inside ever since…ever since she learned Anna wasn't going to be the one letting her inside anymore.

It was getting colder. She wasn't sure how long she could keep it up.

A smell caught her nose as the air shifted her direction and she glanced up, her big blue eyes unblinking.

Why was that raven just sitting there? It was a bird, yes, but it smelt very strange.

Just as she was considering how much effort it would take to hunt the thing, the large black bird seemed to make a decision and flew off after Anna's siblings.

Lily stared for a moment longer than she cared to admit, before tucking her head into her furry side again.

She didn't care to know who woke her up, only that she was going to kill whoever it was.

She looked up sharply to giggling as three strange looking children ran across the yard and up to the front door. They tromped through the grass without regard for the walkway leading up to the porch.

 _Who are they?_

She sniffed and recoiled.

They smelt wrong, like disease, yet also like that strange bird somehow.

"Oooh…look!" one of them said.

Lily's eyes went wide as their attention was drawn to her.

The one that she guessed was a little girl raised her mask and smiled maliciously at the cat, flashing teeth sharper than her own.

Lily tensed, a chill running down her spine to the end of her tail.

What were they? She lashed her tail and narrowed her eyes at them.

"Why's it white?" another said, this one wearing a lot of red. He reached up and pushed the doorbell, not too interested in the cat.

"That's weird…" the third child said.

Why hadn't she run yet? Lily couldn't make herself move.

The door swung open, revealing Harold.

Lily was loath to admit she let out a breath of relief. What a terribly human thing to do.

"Uh…can I help you?"

The poor man looked so confused at the three costumed children.

"Trick or Treat!"

Harold blinked for a moment while the bizarreness of the situation caught up to him. Then he scowled.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Uh…I dunno? Maybe?" one of the boys said, his lips curling into a worrying grin.

Lily could see them behind his mask from her angle.

Harold stared at them for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and subdued.

"…Go home to your families, kids. Halloween was last month."

The door closed, a little harsher than Harold meant. He wasn't about to slam the door on children.

If he was thinking straight, he might have bought them inside to call their parents. Thank God he had a flash of irresponsibility.

"'Trick' it is I guess," Shock shrugged, throwing her empty candy sack over her shoulder with grin. Yeah, they didn't get any candy, but that's the beauty of Trick-or-Treating. Either they get Treats, or they get to pull Tricks. Win-win either way for them.

"We've never got this many Tricks before," Lock snickered, "Man, humans are real idiots when it isn't Halloween. They're practically _giving_ us permission to wreck their stuff."

"But I like Treats…" Barrel whined.

"Told you following Jack was a good idea," Shock said proudly.

"Hey, it was my idea!"

"Nuh uh."

"Yeah huh. You just wanted to see Jack punish the newcomer."

"So did you!" Shock argued. She scoffed. "Whatever. They probably found that bonehead already since _someone_ made us fall behind."

"I heard the Mayor coming back, what else we're we supposed to do?!"

" _Not push me into the swamp!"_

"That was your fault you whiny b—"

"What should we do?" Barrel interrupted. "He chose Trick."

Lock paused, then shrugged, "Toilet paper the house?"

"Eh. Boring, we've done that to every house on this street."

Shock was right. Strips of thin white paper waved from the trees, decorating all of the houses up to the Grisholme household.

"I got a couple eggs left," Lock suggested, pulling out the cardboard case he had stolen from the nearest house after coming through the Thanksgiving's portal. They really should have someone guarding that thing, not that he was complaining.

Lily watched a loose piece of paper drift into the yard as a gust of wind blew. How long was she asleep? The neighborhood trees weren't as white when James left.

Shock smirked at the cat, "We could _play_ with their cat."

The cat stared at them, frozen.

"Ooh! We could put the head in that's guy's bed!"

"We could hang the rest in the bathroom and let the blood drip. That'll freak them out!"

"I got a better idea! What if we paint the walls…"

Somehow, Lily's instincts managed to kick into gear.

The Trick or Treaters groaned as the cat seemed to come to life and hissed and spat at them.

She jumped out of the pot, swiping and yowling at the "kids".

They cackled at her, but the cat took what she could get and ran across the yard, climbing up the nearest tree so fast her claws ached. She stared down at them warily, blue eyes wide.

What the hell was going on?!

"Dang it," Shock's eye drew to the flashy red car in the driveway. The cat was too much trouble, even with Shock's broom, "Hmm..Hey Barrel? Ya still got those hard candies?"

* * *

 **To Guest: You timing is pretty funny, what with you asking for Lock, Shock, and Barrel right before this chapter. Don't worry, I didn't forget them. They have their place.**


	32. Chapter 32: Silhouettes

**Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I didn't keep up with the Halloween updates and that I haven't posted in more than two weeks. School has been ridiculous and Halloween doesn't count as a school free holiday. Plus a lot of midterm are schedule around Halloween. Talk about scary.**

 **Anywho. It's three o'clock in the morning and I'm worried about an art project that's due at nine, so I'm just going to post this, reread it in a couple days and probably realize a huge mistake or two and then rewrite. Until then, I hope this chapter is at least somewhat coherent. Sorry if it isn't. I think I rambled a bit.**

* * *

Chapter 32

* * *

Silhouettes

Less than three miles away, Anna dropped to the ground and walked alone down a street that was once familiar.

It took way too long to lose her _"_ chaperone." _Chaperones,_ plural, if you counted Zero and Jasper.

Sweet Water was nice enough, but the Governor and Chief wanted her to stay with him so she wouldn't accidentally sabotage their holiday.

There were more reasons of course: keep her from interacting with her family, make it easy for Jack to find her, etcetera.

But she knew she had to lose him the second a human (or something that looked like a human) glanced at her and the Thanksgiving Citizen, then pretended not to see them.

He seemed innocent enough, an old man sitting in a rocking chair on his porch in a house near the woods.

Sweet Water had even assured Anna that he couldn't see them if they didn't draw attention to themselves.

Anna knew that already.

But Sweet Water hadn't seen the glance. Nor did he recognize that intense…darkness she could sense from just looking at the man.

Anna couldn't really explain it any better than if she tried to tell how she could sense the demon in her "dreams." _Visions. Whatever._ She didn't have enough information to analyze why she seemed to have some of the abilities she did, so why waste the effort.

The skeleton walked on the sidewalk, sticking to the shadows as best she could force herself. She came to a crossroads and paused. Something itched in the back of her head, and she felt something off when she looked down one way.

She went the opposite direction. Another detour. She didn't care about following Sweet Water around while he did his job bringing Human's their thanks. Granted, she was very curious as to _how_ Holidays did what they did, but every moment spent without her family was wasted time. Plus, she didn't want to put the kind spirit in danger.

"What are you thinking, girl?" Jasper said.

Anna jumped and looked up at the top of the stone wall she was walking by.

About time he showed up.

Anna didn't take the time to warn Zero and Jasper that she was running off. She had merely slipped out of their line of sight into the shadows.

Sweet Water had turned a corner, and Anna suddenly wasn't there.

The animals were just as shocked as Halloween citizens can be. For a moment at least.

"I didn't realize you were still following me. I thought you ran off to explore," she said. "Surely _you_ wouldn't care about us being separated."

She eyed the cat.

He was too calm. He must have just found her. Which meant he didn't know she was avoiding something.

The cat yawned and stretched, his claws scratching quietly against the stone.

For a moment, Anna's nervousness tempted her to grab the cat and keep moving. Staying in one place was making that fear bubble up. It was reaching panic if she didn't find someplace safe soon.

But that was childish. She needed to stay in control.

Jasper looked down to Anna's side as Zero caught up, done being distracted by the smell in a nearby trashcan.

"I've seen the Real World before. Rather unimpressed. It's so dull much of the year," the cat purred. "As for keeping an eye on you? Your rather brash and annoying behavior is making me curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Anna said pointedly.

"But satisfaction brought it back," Jasper quipped, "I speak from experience.

"Besides, it will be Helga, not curiosity, that kills me should your idiocy land you in danger. Is sight-seeing this town of yours really so intriguing? Towns like these are a dime a dozen. Familiarity leads to carelessness and if you're seen by humans—heh. I'm sure your imagination can fill in the rest."

Anna frowned. She glanced down at the concrete beneath her feet and ran her fingers over the cracks in the wall.

"It's strange…everything _looks_ familiar…" Her sockets looked up at the leafless branches above her, "But there's this… _air…_ I don't know how to explain it. It's like I've never been here before. Like all my memories of home were only ever…pictures. Photographs. Flat images."

Zero whined and nudged her hand.

Anna shook her head, clearing the disturbed look in her sockets and started walking again. The itch was back, and she couldn't tell what direction it was coming from.

"You have an interesting way with words."

"I'm good with words."

"Could have fooled me these last few weeks."

"This is Ross Street," she muttered, ignoring him, "The woods are behind me, and I've probably already passed the school so if I just keep going until…"

"You are aware of where we are, correct?" Jasper asked, leaping down from the wall.

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't we at your house yet?" the cat said. "Surely you know the quickest way."

"I'm working on it…"

"You're lost."

" _Leave her alone, cat,"_ Zero growled. He could hear something in Anna's voice. Dread.

"I said I'm working on it," Anna hissed, her voice taking on a snake-like tone. "I know what I'm doing."

The witch's familiar tsked with a strange clicking noise only a cat could manage, but he walked without a word after that, slinking through the nearby grass and flower beds, pretending to hunt an invisible bug or mouse.

Both animals eyed Anna in slight annoyance as she muttered to herself. She was too far into the open. Some human could look out their window and see her if she was too obvious.

The "corner of the eye/almost invisible" thing was fickle. Admittedly, they were even more hidden from humanity since it wasn't Halloween and the veil between worlds was a thick as a typical day, but who would want to risk something like that?

In contrast, Anna was a little fearful of the shadows herself, half expecting something to reach out and grab her. She straddled them, a little more afraid of the dark than the possibility of a human seeing her.

She wasn't convinced the shadows could protect her from what she really feared. At least not for long. Part of her was reminded that it was strange that she even saw shadows as protective. Must be a Halloween thing.

Zero was nervous. He wanted Jasper to tell Anna to hide better, but the cat wasn't concerned enough. That left the dog to try nudging a jittery skeleton into the shadows himself while keeping an eye out.

They were getting dangerously close to the downtown area. That wouldn't do. There were always humans walking about the public streets. Anna was safer in the neighborhoods.

She would know this if someone actually _taught_ her that.

But they kept going.

Anna was trying to figure out how to get to the other side of Main Street without being seen.

Or caught.

That was something else proper training could have been used for. It wasn't like she could use a crosswalk.

The lights got gradually brighter, and the noise of cars got louder.

But there were still no humans. Yet.

Zero's ears perked and Jasper's ears went back.

Anna yelped as Zero grabbed her by the coat and yanked her into an alley.

"Zero! What are you…" she shut up as Zero growled, his voice muffled through the coat fabric in his mouth.

Human voices reached her hearing, and she sobered, pressing her thin body against the brick building silently.

Déjà vu.

The two male silhouettes paused in front of the alley entrance for a moment, spoke for a second, then simply moved on. One of them laughed at something said while the other sounded frustrated. It was a strangely human interaction. The _normalness_ made her shudder.

Anna waited until she couldn't hear them anymore and slunk out of the alley.

She glanced down the street. She should have been paying better attention.

Zero held her coat a moment longer.

He stopped, Jack O' Lantern nose twitching, and stared down the street in the direction the two men went.

"What is it, boy?" Anna whispered, crouching down and stifling her shaking breath.

Zero raised his misty hackles a little and made a strange noise.

"He says we have to keep moving. It isn't safe here," Jasper translated, eyeing the skeleton.

Anna shrugged. _"_ I don't know what you two seem so worried about," she blatantly lied, letting confusion at Zero and Jasper's actions leak into her voice. "You don't need to be so scared of a couple humans, Zero. I'll just be more cautious, alright?"

Her feigned ignorance did nothing to ease the dog. They didn't know about the demons, and she wasn't sure she wanted to tell them. Those creatures were only after her, so far, and she wasn't looking toward to inevitable questions that would come if she opened that can of worms by telling the cat and dog.

Zero didn't respond but followed behind Anna keeping his hackles raised until that _smell_ had faded behind them. But it didn't go away, not entirely. That was the most concerning.

Jasper followed, eyes narrowed and cautious. He had smelled the same thing Zero had before those men appeared.

That corrupted nightmare that attacked them in the Hinterlands smelled similar.

The sharp tang that reminded him of rotten eggs tickled a memory, one distant and in broken, misty pieces. The cat sorted through them, ignoring the flashes of a life he didn't care to remember and focused on that smell. He _knew_ that smell. The nostalgia had bothered him since the smoke thing in the Hinterlands, but it was easy to put in the back of his mind at the time.

Anna and Zero were acting strange, like they each knew something, but weren't telling.

The skeleton started to calm down the farther she got from those two silhouetted figures.

Anna's mind raced. " _I'm still new to this. Being a monster. "Sensing" strange things. But I remember what demons feel like. I sensed them the moment we got here. I don't know how. Somehow…they know I'm here. But I should thank Zero. We would have gotten caught that last time if he hadn't pulled me back."_

She was doing a good job so far, but her chest was starting to hurt. Her heart that she knew didn't really exist was beating so hard she feared it would come flying out, cracking her ribs as it went. She breathed. She clenched her fists. She did anything she could to stay in control.

She wanted to curl into a ball and cry as the fear clawed at her sanity once again and it took everything just to stare ahead.

She was scared. Terrified even. Facing demons in her dreams were one thing, this was _very_ different. Yet at the same time, it wasn't.

She remembered that horrible _dark_ feeling on the hill in her dream—her _vision._ The demon, he didn't seem very surprised that she was there in the past. If anything, he was maybe…amused…

In the back of her head, she wondered if Chakis would do anything.

Anna shook her head. She didn't understand that creature, but Anna figured the Reaper wasn't the type to help, just react and do her job, which Anna wasn't too keen on her doing.

On second thought, maybe wishing Chakis was around was a terrible idea.

In that case, what could Anna do? Getting to her house wouldn't change anything. They would still be looking for her. She needed some way to fend them off.

But what?

Jasper held his tongue while Anna corrected her path at least twice more.

When he finally spoke, he kept his voice low and sultry as usual, but with a sharp edge to it.

"Do either of you two happen to know why we keep almost running into _demons?"_ he spoke almost carelessly.

Anna tripped a bit, and Zero froze in the air.

Jasper sneered, "I seriously doubt Zero knows what's chasing us, only that they smell the same as that smoke thing that attacked us, but _you…"_ The cat glared at Anna, "How have you any reason to be aware of demons, let alone recognize their energy enough to sense them? I never heard Helgamine nor Zeldabourne explain them to you." He paused, dropping his voice a bit. "How would that conversation come about anyway?"

Zero, surprised to learn the nature of what was worrying him, whined and stared at the witch's cat and the skeleton girl.

Anna didn't answer for a long moment. "It's a long story…"

The cat scaled a low tree branch.

Anna jerked back to find him glaring at her, eye to eye-socket.

Anna clamped her mouth shut and stared straight into his large blue eyes.

It was quiet, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves.

Finally, Jasper growled and rolled his blue orbs. "Where's the nearest church?"

"W-what?" Anna blinked at Jasper's apparently random question.

"The nearest church. Catholic preferably."

"It's…" Anna paused, "Why?"

"Just answer the question."

"Down Main Street, past the courthouse, and up Mulberry Drive."

"How long would it take us to get there?"

"Thirty-minute walk…"

"So three minutes with _your_ fumbling about if we didn't have to worry about _obstacles,"_ the cat mused. "What about your house?"

"Closer."

The cat made a face, "Does your house have salt?"

Anna pursed her lips at him as she connected the pieces, "That actually works?"

"Against demons? Yes."

Zero growled.

"And ghosts so I was trying to avoid that."

Anna frowned, a little bit of fear replaced by hope. Maybe?

"Let's move along," Jasper snapped, his tail flicking as he jumped down.

Zero nodded firmly, for once agreeing with the cat.

"Wait…"

The animals stopped and looked back at the girl.

"You're…not going to…press for answers?" Anna said, clicking her teeth.

Jasper just purred. "Lies are complicated webs to weave. They're so exhausting to keep up. I'll just wait until the spider tires. Or wishes to play the game properly."

Anna frowned. There seemed to be a lot of spiders in this story. Liars, that is. Or at least secret keepers.

Zero silently floated closer to Anna and remained even more vigilant.

"Which way?" Jasper demanded.

Anna stepped over the black cat to put herself in the lead.

"We can try cutting through the park."

" _Sounds good to me..."_ Zero couldn't smell anything wrong in the direction Anna indicated, but it wasn't like being a ghost gave him super senses, just supernatural senses perhaps.

Anna forced a smile at Zero's soft bark and ruffled his ears.

She stared down at the cat for a moment.

"What game?"

"That's up to you."

Anna rolled her eyes at the cryptic response and huffed. She stopped at a wooden gate to an enclosed backyard.

"We can pass through here," she said, reaching her long arm over the gate to unlatch it.

The three of them slipped into the backyard.

With an electric crackle, floodlights flipped on, and the back door slammed open.

An older woman with impressively thick grey hair glared out at her backyard and bellowed loud enough to rattle the weak glass window panes of her small wooden garden shed. "ALRIGHT THOMAS MCCREERY! GIT YERSELF AND YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS OFF MY PROPERTY BEFORE I CALL YOUR MOTHER, YOUNG MAN!"

The empty back lawn and garden were silent.

"DON'T TRY TO HIDE YOU LITTLE HELLION! _I KNOW A HEARD THAT GATE OPEN!"_

Nothing.

The woman waited a hot minute before turning to go back inside with a suspicious squint.

A small noise made her freeze.

A sneeze.

With fire in her step, the homeowner turned on her heel and marched right up to the garden shed.

"THOMAS! ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!"

Nothing.

The woman frowned. Usually, Thomas would have come out by now. The woman showed a flash of hesitation as she reached out her hand.

She barely cracked open the shed before there was a metallic crash and a black cat streaked past her feet, disappearing into the shadows.

She screamed, stomping her feet at the cat. When it was gone, she swore, signed a cross over her chest, and shut the splintery shed door before going back inside.

Jasper waited until she was gone to return to the terrible smelling wooden box. The thick scent of garden chemicals and paint burned his nose.

Anna poked her skull out like the shed was an old coffin, eyeing the back porch.

"That was too-." Jasper sneezed again, his small cat nose making an adorable sound.

"Too close? You're the one who sneezed," Anna pointed out.

Zero sneezed too, flying forward and knocking into a small pile of cans.

Anna froze at the noise, but the back door didn't open.

The dog whined.

"Aren't I supposed to be the amateur?" Anna complained.

"Oh hush."

Anna squinted at Jasper as she completely lowered herself off the shelving. "Well, I—" She froze. "Get inside."

Jasper didn't hesitate at her tone and slipped inside the small shed as Anna clicked the door close.

That itch was back. It felt different, she wasn't sure how, but she couldn't afford to dwell on the slightly different feeling.

* * *

"This is _boring_! Where're all the decorations? The haunted houses?!"

"The candy," Barrel muttered dejectedly.

"Shut up," Shock snapped at Lock and Barrel."

"You shut up," Lock bit back, sneering at Shock behind his mask, "It was your dumb idea to follow Jack."

Shock made weird noises to mock her brother but didn't actually respond.

"And you took all my candy…" Barrel added.

"Just the hard ones!" Shock snapped. "It was for a good, bad cause!" she argued. "And you got to lick them all anyway."

"Yeah, what was _that_ about?!" Lock added.

"Hey, you licked some of them too!"

Nonstop Tricks get a little tiring when you're not getting any Treats at all for your efforts.

"This is boring," Lock repeated, offhandedly tossing a strip of toilet paper at a sad looking bush. He glanced down at the empty cardboard roll for a moment before shrugging and throwing it over his shoulder into the street.

"I wanna go home," Barrel muttered. He stopped as something occurred to him, "Hey guys? How are we gonna get home?"

"Through the Turkey freaks' portal a'course," Shock said like it was obvious.

"…but…when do you think it closes?"

They stared at each other.

Lock stuttered, "Wh-whatever, Jack and the other stupids aren't going home until they find that jerk."

"What if they already found her…"

"Then…" the Halloween-demon boy trailed off.

"Hey! You what are you three doing out here?"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel's pupils shrank at the bright light directed on them, and their heads turned toward the police officer.

Barrels head twisted around like an owl to an unnatural degree with a sharp crack.

The policeman screamed. He stepped backward too fast and tripped, dropping his flashlight.

He groaned and blinked.

"Ow."

What did he just see? The police officer shook his head and picked up his flashlight. Wait. Where was he?

It flickered wildly, so he smacked it a few times.

"Alright, you kids-.

Where did they go?

He swung his flashlight down the street. Nothing. Not even the fading sound of footsteps.

A chill ran down his spine.

"H-hey! Y-your parents are probably worried sick! Come out."

There wasn't anywhere to hide.

A cold breath brushed against his neck, and a terrible sweet smell like decay wafted past him. The hairs on the back of the man's neck stood up.

He froze.

A leaf crunched behind him, and he twisted around, holding his flashlight like a weapon.

"SHI-!" Some part of his mind reminded him that there were just children here. Why should he reach for his gun?

The last he saw before his mind was enveloped in blackness were three horrible faces with sharp teeth and awful expressions. He could have sworn he saw bleeding eyes.

* * *

Jasper, Zero, and Anna jumped at the sound of a man's shrill scream.

Anna knocked a clay pot off the shelf with a slight swing of her arm. She instinctively flicked her wrist and caught it with a loose piece of rope that whipped out from its coil sitting on the shelf underneath. The magicked yellow polypropylene rope hovered in the air for a moment before the pot slipped out and shattered on the concrete.

The scream cut off abruptly, and the inside of the shed suddenly seemed a million times colder.

Anna's hand hurriedly reached for the latch.

"Anna, stop!" Jasper hissed.

"But someone….that scream!"

"And what would you do?! Look at your hand, girl!"

Anna looked down. Her hands were trembling enough to make chattering teeth seem gentle, and she couldn't even grasp the latch. Her bones knocked against the metal.

She stepped back, almost tripping on a rake and sat on the floor.

"Anna, what are you…" Jasper whispered harshly.

He shut up as Anna moaned and curled into her herself, drawing her lengthy legs up and covering her head with her hand. Her fingers weaved into her messy hair.

Her whole body was shaking.

Zero nudged her elbow.

"It's them," she whispered, "It's them. It's them. They're here."

"Anna calm down."

"I…I can't. I can't calm down," she panicked, grey tinted tears leaking out her black-hole like sockets. Her whole body felt like chattering teeth on a cold winter night. "I-Is it the demons?!"

She tried. She really tried to control her emotions. But she had been running around for hours terrified of turning corners. She had no idea what that scream could've been, but the paranoia found a chink in the armor and went for it without hesitation.

"I…I don't know," Jasper admitted, his ears falling back as he watched the skeleton lose it. "I can't smell anything with all this weed killer and paint in here."

Zero was starting to panic too. He licked Anna's hand, trying to distract her.

But she could only stare at the thin sliver of moonlight that snuck under the shed door. She stared with wide sockets and quick breathing.

"Anna, you _have to_ pull yourself together," Jasper ordered, "We don't know if that was a demon."

"They're too close…" Anna whispered frantically.

"Anna…"

"They're coming for me," Anna whimpered, completely forgetting her surroundings. Her ramblings barely sounded like her at all.

It's was her mimicry, Jasper was sure. She sounded like several people whispering at once. Her voice was in there somewhere but overlapped by at least two others.

He didn't recognize the voices, and as far as he knew she could only mimic people she had heard before. One seemed old and very monotone, while the other strong one was young and female with an Irish accent.

"Demons can't take souls unless the soul is given to them!" Jasper snapped, "Now be quiet! _Please!_ You'll get us caught."

Anna curled her skeletal hands into fists and pressed them against her sockets, almost shoving them in. She sobbed harder.

Jasper was getting frustrated with her, though he knew he deserved a kick in the head for thinking that. But he was getting desperate too.

"I shouldn't have come here. I should never have left!"

"Annalise Grisholme!" Jasper jumped into her lap and swiped a paw at her face.

Zero ducked behind Anna and stared at the cat from under Anna's arm.

Anna blinked at him, breathing heavily.

"I can't pretend to understand all of what's happening! But if you don't calm down right now, we will be caught by whatever caused that scream just now! So you can either calm down or possibly die like a dog—offense intended Zero—because you couldn't bring yourself to even stand up, _you useless pile of dusty bones_!"

Zero floated back a few steps.

Dark holes in a gleaming white skull glared at the cat.

* * *

"Ugh,…we're not…huff…going to speak of _this_ ," Shock strained.

Lock groaned and let go of the police officer's arm. He wiped the blood out from under his eyes.

"Hey! Pick up the slack doofus!"

"He's heavy!"

"You're a supernatural demon monster, you idiot! You could pick up a car if you wanted!"

"Well, I don't want too," Lock said, kicking open the nearest backyard gate.

Shock snarled and hit Lock with her broom.

"Guys...what if Jack hears about this," Barrel asked. He grabbed the human's ankle and strained to pull the man's body past the other two squabbling monster children.

"He's not gonna! We're going to hide him in…uh… _there…"_ Shock pointed at a shed. "And no one's going to hear about this." She narrowed her eyes pointedly at the boys. "Capich?"

"I thought we were going to bury him," Barrel complained.

"Eh,…it'll take too long…" Shock shrugged. "Get the door Lock."

"Since when were you in charge?" Lock sassed but stood on his tiptoes to reach the handle.

 _ **SKKREEEEEEE!**_

"AHHHH!" Boogies Boys shrieked at a pitch embarrassing for Halloween Citizens as the door swung open to a twisted snarling face screeching at them.

Lock swung his pitchfork at the form.

Anna jerked back as the prongs struck her side and ripped through her coat. Purple flames flicked around her hands.

Anna's hunched, sharp form froze in surprised as the three young monsters fell backward on their rumps. The fire went out.

They stared at each other for a long moment. It felt like at least three minutes.

" _YOU?!"_ Lock, Shock, and Barrel said.

Anna blinked and dropped the sharp gardening shears she had posed above her head in a murderous position. Her face slightly morphed back to normal, but she didn't relax.

"Me?! You! What are _you doing—"_ she stopped abruptly seeing the prone form behind the kids, "Oh my god. Did you _kill_ someone?!"

"Pffft. _NO._ We just knocked him out."

"He _passed_ out," Lock corrected quickly, slightly nervous at the glare Anna sported.

She looked almost scarier than Jack at the moment with her ripped clothes, spiky hair, and pissed-off scowl.

"Though we probably would have killed him if he didn't go…" Barrel mimed passing out, "But it's just not fun when they're not awake."

Anna scowled at them. "That's awful," she deadpanned.

"Thank you," all three cackled.

Anna stepped over the still unconscious human and towered over the three monsters, making them back up away from the human a bit. " _What the hell are you doing here?"_

Zero moved from Anna's side, and Jasper took advantage of Anna's hunched form to climb up to her shoulder.

"Looking for you," Shock lied automatically, eyeing the black cat cautiously. "Everyone's _really_ worried. Jack and a few others came here looking for you."

Anna snorted, "And you volunteered to what? Help?"

"Hey. Any opportunity to mess with humans is a good one," Lock said.

Anna squinted, no doubt in her mind that was the only truthful statement they had said in the conversation.

"Where's Jack?" she said, glancing up at the empty street past the opened yard gate.

"He's uh…" Shocked muttered. "We…split up…"

"…Does Jack even know you're here!?"

"Why would you care?"

"Because you're going to get trapped here, _with me,_ if you don't go back before they close the portal," Anna said, dropping her voice to an almost calm level. "Little Braid said that they close it when the last dinner is finished. They don't run Thanksgiving by the sun, moon, or time."

"That's stupid."

"Shut up Shock," Lock turned back to Anna, "Well, maybe we don't _want_ to go home?"

"What?"

Shock smirked as something occurred to her. "Yeah! Maybe we'll just stay here _all_ year round. No more rules! No more adults telling us what to do. We can just Trick or Treat all the time and mess with humans." Her smirk darkened, "We can even give Ivy a _visit_."

Anna frowned. "Who…"

"And not even Jack can stop us!" Barrel added.

Anna shared a glance with Zero.

"Hell n-," she started before the back-porch floodlights cracked on again.

The man moaned.

"THOMAS!"

"Oh crap," Lock muttered.

Anna jumped and reacted quickly, yellow rope she remembered from earlier shooting out of the shed behind her and wrapping around the kids like spider-webs.

As an afterthought, another rope wrapped around the rousing police officer's ankle and dragged him into the shed before slamming the door.

"Sorry…"

She didn't stop running, three yellow angry rope cocoons bobbing in the air behind her, until she was far enough down the street that the lady's shouting was a distant murmur.

"Why'd I do that?" Anna muttered, dropping the wriggling cocoons on the sidewalk non-too-kindly.

Jasper didn't speak with Boogie's Boys there.

"Cause a weird man in that lady's shed was a good distraction for both of them, _duh,"_ Shock snarled, kicking off the ropes and ripping a few with a knife hidden up her sleeve for good measure. "Stop _doing_ this!"

"No."

* * *

Meanwhile, the woman stared at the open the door to her empty shed in confusion.

* * *

"They're too tight," Lock growled in frustration, having trouble getting out of his tangle.

"Not like you have circulation to cut off," Anna shot back. "Let's call it retribution for tying me up in the Mayor's office."

Lock and Shock glared at her. Barrel was still a little too preoccupied to do anything but let out a muffled scream.

"You already got back at us!" Shock snapped.

"Oh, did I? You thre—" Anna cut herself off abruptly. She straightened, and her eyes widened in fear as she looked around.

Jasper yowled quietly.

Zero raised his hackles, keeping half an eye on the three Trick or Treaters.

"What are you?" Lock laughed mockingly before Shock suddenly punched him in the arm. "Hey!"

"Shut up," Shock hissed.

"What are you…" Lock stilled, and his tail lashed.

Even Barrel stayed silent and looked around worriedly. He pulled off the last of the ropes and cautiously stepped behind the scariest thing that was the least threatening, which was Anna at the moment.

Anna tensed and crouched slightly.

"Hello."

The five Halloween Citizens and one Runaway felt the other side of a scare as their spines chilled and they turned around.

Shock tripped on Lock's feet at the sight of the man who was suddenly standing closer than a human comfortably should.

It was the police officer.

"H-how…" Shock gasped. They just left him in the shed!

Lock caught her under an armpit, more on instinct than consciously. Had he been thinking straight, he probably would have let her fall and laughed about it later.

The three Halloween Citizen children scrambled to get behind Anna.

Anna shrunk minutely at the sight of him and she could hear her own bones shake slightly. She wasn't panicking again. Not yet.

"…It's polite to say "hello" back, young lady. Don't you know you're supposed to respect the police."

Anna shuddered and stepped back, the concrete sidewalk scraping against the soles of her shoes the loudest noise.

The man's fake smile didn't move as his eyes drifted to the children behind Anna, briefly passing over the cat and ghost dog.

"Intriguing. You know, many of our kind don't even know there exist creatures such as yourselves. You're myths, as it were. Ironic isn't it," he looked back at Anna, "Most angels and demons don't believe in sentient Holiday decorations. It's too fantastical even for many of us. Yet many humans don't believe in us. Don't you find that interesting, Annalise?"

"Who…what are you? We…I…knocked you out…"

The officer focused on Lock, making the boy flash his sharp teeth and adjust his grip on his pitchfork.

"You in particular! It's almost adorable that _you_ are how human children see us. Pathetic really. Humiliating at the least."

"Why you…" Lock choked on his threat as the man took a step closer.

Anna held her hands out at her sides as he began to approach.

"I really have to thank you," the man said happily, eyeing Lock, Shock, and Barrel, "I was about to give up following you three. I even let the human in here," he tapped his head, "Take the wheel for a bit, not that he can tell the difference. You weren't even looking for Annalise! Must be fate. Thanks for that little bruise," he touched his forehead, "I'm sure my host will be feeling it in the morning. Now…" He held out a hand to the skeleton, barely three feet away from her. "Are you going to come with me quietly? My boss would love to meet you. I believe I'm due for a promotion."

Anna towered over the man, staring down at him with a tense, but blank expression.

The man's smile never wavered, but his eyes flashed a dangerous glint.

"Do you know why you're doing this?" Anna asked, not even reacting to his outstretched hand.

The man didn't budge. "Above my 'pay grade' frea…"

Immediately, the man was pummeled with knotted ropes hard enough to break his ribs, and his body wrapped up before being thrown out like a yo-yo into a nearby bush.

Anna flinched, hoping she hadn't hurt the human the demon was possessing too bad.

"RUN!"

The others didn't need to be told twice.

All six of them, except Zero and Jasper, melted into shadows and ran.

" _What in Halloween was that?!"_ Lock's inky form shrieked. He wasn't keeping himself together very well, little smoky bits catching on the pavement a couple times.

Boogie's Boys weren't well practice in basic Tricks.

Anna flinched at hearing the voice in her head but not quite. This was how monster's talked while pulling this Trick?

" _Demon_ ," she said shortly, without moving anything that felt like a mouth.

" _Obviously!"_ Shock screamed, knocking into Anna's two-dimensional side on a long stone wall.

" _I…I want to go home,"_ Barrel begged.

" _We…"_ Anna hesitated, " _W-we need to find Jack."_

" _What?! He'll kill us for following him!"_

" _Better than whatever that demon's planning,"_ Shock shot back at Lock.

" _Oh god, are you agreeing with me?"_ Anna hissed.

Something hit Shock before the witch could shoot something back and she was "knocked" out of her shadow, rolling a couple times, the other's far ahead up the street before they realized what happened.

The demon, sporting a new cut deep into the police officer's face sneered at her.

"Wrong one," he snarled in annoyance. He raised his hand.

Shock's eyes widened.

" _Shock! Duck!"_ Anna shouted, too far away to do anything.

Shock did just as a powerful blast of green tinted magic slammed into the demon's arm, spinning him around and throwing him a fair distance down the street. He slammed into the asphalt like a doll.

Shock didn't have time to look to see who had rescued her before someone pulled her up by the back of her dress and roughly set her on a broom.

"As soon as you get ye'bearings, you get on your own broom," Helgamine snarled at the younger witch, ignoring the shouts about her sore head.

Shock clutched her broom and hat close and caught her balance as Helgamine flew over to where Anna and the others had reformed.

"Helgamine!" Anna gasped in relief. The relief turned into terror as Helgamine wordlessly ushered Shock off, dismounted and quickly stalked up to the skeleton.

"Helga I…" Anna didn't get another word out before Helgamine hit her upside the head with her broom. Repeatedly.

"Ow! Ow. Helga! I'm sorry! Ow! Stop!" Anna covered her head to shield from the assault.

"Now you listen here _Annalise Grisholme_!" Helgamine said, her voice terrifyingly calm yet sharp. "If you _ever_ do something as _idiotic_ as THIS!" she wacked the skeleton every couple of words.

"Ow!"

"Then so. Help. Me. Zelda and I will not. Be. There. To save. Your boneheaded arse. And if you _happen_ to get out of it. Mark. My. Words!" the witch stopped broom smacking for a moment. She snarled and pulled the terrified girl down by her collarbone and whispered, "Then you better hope to Heaven _and_ Hell _and_ all the Purgatories, that _I don't. Hear. About. It!_

The witch suddenly calmed and smiled creepily, letting go of Anna. "Am I clear?"

Anna nodded frantically with shiver. "Yes, ma'am," she said quickly, her voice barely a whisper.

Helga narrowed her eyes.

"JASPER!" she barked.

They all jumped, but Jasper broke up into a run.

Helgamine let him get almost down the street. She raised her hand, and the cat was yanked up into the air by his scruff and levitated toward the group until he was hovering in front of his witch.

"Meow?" he said innocently and started purring.

Helgamine's eyes narrowed.

She jerked her head to the side and Jasper's neck suddenly snapped at a wrong angle, and his body fell limp.

Anna screamed, clapping her hands over her jaw and stared at her caretaker with horrified wide eyes.

Helgamine calmly placed Jaspers body in her bag that Anna hadn't noticed before.

"Relax Annalise. I'll revive his body when we get home _if he behaves,"_ she glared pointedly at a space in the air.

Anna watched as a very annoyed misty form materialized.

Zero made a sound somewhere between a nervous whimper and a dog laugh.

Jasper's ghost glared at the ghost dog mockingly.

Helgamine reached out and grabbed the ghost by the scruff, "If you want this body back, then you can start earning it by _helping Zelda finish that exorcism!"_

Jasper growled something and ran through the air in somehow still a very cat-like way toward Zeldabourne, who was holding the demon under a heavy green wave of magic.

She and Trouble barely acknowledged the sour-looking ghost cat.

Trouble's ears went back in shock and Jasper gave him a look that clearly meant, "Say anything, and I'll make you join me."

Zeldabourne didn't break her stare at the demon and continued to chant in Latin.

The demon was a little busy screaming to notice whatever the Halloween Citizens were doing. He was angrily screeching insults at Zelda in at least ten different languages.

"Stay. Here," Helgamine ordered Anna, the Trick or Treaters, and Zero.

Shock and Barrel each stomped on one of Lock's foot.

"Ow! I didn't even say anything!"

"You were going to," Shock hissed.

Helga glared at them, gave Anna a pointed look and went up the street to add her chanting to Zelda's.

Anna nervously waited for about…thirty seconds, before she jogged closer, stopping just close enough to hear what they were saying, the kids and Zero following.

She recognized that it was Latin, but she couldn't sort out any of the words.

Domini.

Sancta. Dominus. Satanica.

That was about all she caught.

The witches glanced at her out the corner of their eyes but didn't falter.

"YoU thiNk thiS ChAnGes aNYtHing!" the demon screeched, his arm was burnt, his head was bleeding, and his ribs were broken but that didn't seem to be what caused him pain. "hE'll get wHaT he wAnts! yOu can't BrEak oUt oF a dEaL wItH uS." He focused on Anna through the pain. "Y-yOu tHinK ThiS is paIn, WaiT tIll you'RE doWnStaiRs! You tHink yOu'Re coWaRd oF a GraNdfAther wIlL Protect yOu!?

"…Adi nos," both witches finished.

Anna shut her eyes and covered her head as a loud screeching roar enveloped them.

When she looked up, Zeldabourne was busy chanting something else over the unconscienced human while dripping water (fountain water, Anna realized) over the human's wounds.

"Aren't you two Pagan?" Anna said, slowly. "I thought only Priests could exorcise demons."

"The Christians got some things right," Helgamine said, "We have to add a lot of words and throw some of our magic in there to make the exorcism work for us. But it's still risky. We can't stop at any time, or it will blow back at us."

"…Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now pick him up and let's find a porch to leave him on," Zeldabourne said, standing up and wiping her knobby hands.

"Me?"

"You're the strongest kind of monster here," Helgamine said.

"Ah," Anna said, sarcasm leaking through. She walked through a distracted Jasper, making the now ghost cat growl a little and picked up the human.

She was oddly surprised by how easy it was. It was also very awkward figuring out how she was supposed to hold him. She settled for over the shoulder. Didn't help. He seemed so _small_ compared to her.

The man shuddered as if she was ice.

"You seem really good at healing humans," Anna noted, as she carried the human to the nearest house.

How on Earth had the whole street not come outside at the noise? She was reasonably sure people weren't all asleep yet, and a lot of families were still having Thanksgiving dinner.

"I had…" Zeldabourne shared a look with Helgamine. "...Shall we say… _practice."_

"How?"

"Perhaps a story for another time, dear," Helgamine said. "For now, let's just say you aren't the first to come to Halloween with a human life on your mind."

Anna frowned, and nodded, leaning the mumbling police officer against the house's steps, ignoring how he flinched each time her bones accidentally touched his skin.

Her frown deepened as the man shivered.

She ground her teeth together and unclipped the man's badge from his belt. He didn't seem to have a name tag…wait…there it was. In his pocket. She quickly fixed it to his pocket flap and put his badge in his hands in plain sight.

"Anna what are you…" Helga asked.

Before the others could stop her, she reached over the officer's head and rang the doorbell insistently several times.

"Hey bone brain!" Lock snapped. "What are you doing?!"

Anna kept pressing the doorbell over and over until she could hear someone coming.

"Go!"

They ran to the nearest shadows without a word until they were out of sight of whoever would open the door.

"What was that for?" Shock demanded, "They could have seen us."

"Can you tell if it's cold?" Anna said. "Does your breath crystallize in the air?"

"…I don't got any."

"I don't either. Can any of us tell if its cold?" Anna said. "Look." She scratched a finger over a mailbox, loosening icy flakes. "Frost. It's getting cold. We couldn't just leave that man outside. He might have frozen to death."

Helgamine chuckled, "You're too human for your own good."

"What would you have done?"

"Same thing. Maybe. But I wouldn't have been so insistent with that doorbell. Now had you asked me that several years ago, I would have had a very different answer. You wouldn't be too keen to hear it."

Anna nodded.

"Let's go," Zeldabourne snapped.

"…To Halloween?" Anna asked.

"Of course! Where the bloody else would we…"

"I…"

"Annalise! You are not staying here!"

"Well, I can't just…go back!" Anna shot back.

Helga huffed and shook her head as Zelda and Anna went back and forth.

"Why not!? Haven't seen your family yet? Too bad! It's too dangerous here you blimey oak headed _child."_

The witches looked up.

Anna stiffened and looked in the same direction.

"Damn. We aren't done with this conversation, Anna. But we can't stay here," Helgamine said.

"Are those…those demons? Coming back?" Barrel asked.

Helga nodded at the boy, "And there's more of them coming." Her eyes narrowed.

Shock caught the looked and smiled sheepishly. "What?"

"Don't think you three brats are off the hook either," Helgamine warned.

"Figures," Lock muttered under his "breath."

Jasper's ghost meowed something.

Helgamine glanced at him before turning to Anna.

"We might not have time to get salt from your house, plus its too risky with your family around. We'll head toward that church."

"We're closer to there by now anyway," Zeldabourne added.

Anna looked down and nodded, shutting her eyes.


	33. Chapter 33: Long Overdue

**HI everyone! Sorry I haven't been good with keeping up lately. I meant to update Christmas but things got out of hand and this was a difficult chapter to write. Now that it's out of the way, I think it while be easier to write the next few chapters fairly quickly.**

 **Since, I've been gone for so long, I've decided to announce a few projects related to this story. I'm in the process of writing several crossover stories with other fandoms for this universe of mine. They won't be canon to my main story, but they will be written as if they are. Think of them as a bunch of parallel universes that take place after Annalise's main story and you get to decide which one you believe is real. Of course that means, I have to finish this story before I publish them or else things won't make sense. Two crossovers are the most written. Supernatural and Undertale. Like I said, I can't publish the whole stories yet, but I might consider releasing the first chapters if there is enough interest. Though that might just make you mad if I can't post the rest.**

 **So if your interested in seeing Anna cuss out Sam and Dean Winchester for shooting her (rating Teen for swearing and Dean jokes) while they freak about living Halloween decorations or Jack Skellington trying (and failing)** **to explain to Papyrus why he and so many monsters have human SOULS, drop a dime. Or PM. Or Review. I'm open to suggestions for other crossovers. Please avoid Anime unless you really think I can make it work. I'm already planning Little Nightmares, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Fran Bow.**

 **Fun fact: Dean Winchester is apparently only nine months older than Annalise Grisholme. So they'd both be 38 right now if Anna wasn't dead. Chronologically I guess they still are. I didn't intentionally plan that, but it gives me fodder for a few good jokes. Oh God. Lol. I just pulled out a calculator to check something. That means Jillian and James are the same age as Sam. I swear I didn't plan this.**

 **Also, Coco is an amazing movie!**

 **If you haven't seen it and it's still in theaters, go now!**

Chapter 33

Long Overdue

She didn't argue, even though it was a blatant lie.

Her house _was_ closer than the church.

Her eyes glanced at the metal sign for her street _as they literally walked passed it_. The green painted aluminum glinted in the streetlights, sparkling under the frost like a…a…glitter barfed Halloween decoration, or a six-year-old's Valentine's Day card.

Anna rolled her eyes at herself as she added another Holiday themed example to her repertoire of ways to describe sparkly things. Ornaments. Glittering Christmas ornaments violently decorated by strippers on PCP or some other drug her father dealt with at work.

Eh.

Maybe forget that last part. "Drugs" and "Christmas" shouldn't be in the same sentence. Even in random abstract thought.

Maybe the witches weren't trying to be needlessly cruel, parading her by her old street to rub salt on a wound. But it really didn't matter what they were trying or not trying to do. The fact remained that it probably wasn't safe for her family to be anywhere near Anna at the moment. Her feelings about the matter didn't change facts.

"Hey, we just came from this way."

Anna almost didn't hear Lock's offhanded remark.

Helgamine cast a beady glance up the street, eyeing the toilet paper strewn trees. "I take it _no one_ picked 'Treat'?" Her voice was carefully neutral, but her eyes betrayed desperation like she wasn't too keen on holding a conversation with Lock.

Anna was a little surprised that she even saw how uncomfortable the witches were. She thought herself too emotionally drained at the moment to gather the strength needed to notice the details of a monster's tone of voice.

If she didn't know better, she might have thought the witches had never spoken to the children. She didn't remember Helga and Zelda _ever_ talking to the Treaters. But it was a little further than that.

Anna wasn't naïve. She listened to the comings and goings of customers in the witches' shop. She learned a lot about the town just by listening to monsters talk about their version of everyday stuff.

Those kids were somewhat abusive of the second chance at life they were given.

Anna had often overheard of their daily shenanigans from monsters coming in to buy a replacement object or mending spell or, in one unfortunate case, a new tongue.

Anna had long figured out that Lock, Shock, and Barrel had a warped sense of morality if it was there at all.

Which made her all the more concerned when Lock answered Helgamine's question.

"Ugh. Not a single one. TPing the trees were getting a little old. We had to get creative."

Anna tensed, hoping their 'creativity' wasn't directed at her family. She didn't say anything though. She knew they didn't know which house was hers. They shouldn't even know that this was her street. The witches may have known, but she wasn't about to give the pranksters such valuable information.

Helgamine eyed the boy. "I don't want to know the details."

"What makes you think I'd tell you, you old hag?"

The witches glared at him. Zeldabourne snapped her long fingers and Lock's mouth suddenly clamped shut.

He panicked for a moment and tried to swear at her, but could only make muffled noises. He glared at the old "hags."

Shock made her first sound since the demon attack, a small laugh. She immediately quieted and glared at the asphalt under their feet. Even she could hear the strain in her voice.

Lock didn't. He hit her on the side of her arm with his wrist and gestured at his mouth.

Shock smirked at him with narrowed eyes. "I'm not lifting it, you dummy. This is the longest I've gone without hearing you whine in ages!"

Lock looked even madder and made a grab at Shock's hair.

She whacked him with her broom and snarled at him with crooked teeth and murder in her eyes.

Anna couldn't help grinning as Lock backed down and crossed his arms, pouting.

It was awkwardly quiet as they walked until a small voice broke the air.

"So uh…" Barrel's voice was hesitant, and he held a vacant expression of a boy who just spent the last few minutes lost in his own thoughts. He probably wasn't paying attention to the little spat that just transpired. "Did anyone else…hear what the demon was saying?" His eyes darted up at Anna and just as quickly looked away in fear when he found her already looking at him.

The others glanced at him but didn't stop walking.

"What are you talking about?" Shock said, popping one of Barrels candies into her mouth. She rolled it around in her mouth, counting how many times she could flip it with her tongue to distract her from her hands that shook and teeth that chattered despite her not feeling the cold biting air. It was also to avoid saying anything else, lest her voice waver.

Lock frowned at Shock and Barrel, silently warning the other boy not to sound so wimpy.

"What that demon said," Lock growled, knowing what Barrel was talking about. He blinked in surprise that he could even speak and touched his lips.

"It said a lot of things," Zeldabourne said calmly, watching him. She wasn't willing to waste any more energy just to mute him with a spell, "It was a little busy writhing in pain to be coherent."

"Good job on that by the way," Helga mentioned.

"Thank you."

"The Grandfather thing!" Barrel interrupted, "What was it talking about? It said 'your Grandfather,'" he pointed at Anna's back, flinching when she straightened, though she didn't turn around again, "Not that I _care_ …but…. I'm not stupid."

Lock had a "could have fooled me," caught on the tip of his tongue, but bit it back. He didn't want to admit it, but he was curious. "I heard it too…"

"I wasn't listening to it. You must have misheard," Zeldabourne said sternly. She took something out of her pocket and put it in her mouth.

Anna found it weird that the adults had candy on them too. Then again, how many times did she see one of the witches, or even Sally or Harlequin or the Mayor, offhandedly toss back a handful of candy while working?

She even caught Jack pulling candy out of his pockets when she saw him. He seemed to favor peppermints, while the witches liked candy corn and caramels, Helgamine and Zeldabourne respectively.

It made a ridiculous amount of sense that Halloween Monsters had a massive sweet-tooth.

"I did not!"

"I was too f-far away to hear," Shock added, immediately regretting it when her voice caught. It was a small slip up, the others probably didn't notice, and Shock wasn't about to admit she was still recovering from having stale air knocked out of her useless little lungs by a demon.

Anna stared straight ahead as Lock continued to stubbornly defend himself (and by extension, Barrel). She was silent the whole time, the adrenaline wearing off, or whatever counted as adrenaline for her spindly body. Now thoughts without fear were turning like gears as the only other emotion she thought herself capable of having at the moment wormed its way in like poison.

She had hoped none of them had heard the demon speak of her… _grandfather._

"Are we going to meet Jack somewhere?" Anna spoke up, interrupting the small argument. Her voice was tight and short.

She glanced back at the brief silence.

Were they really so surprised to hear the anger in her voice after everything that's happened?

Helga answered when she caught Anna's gaze. "He'll meet us at the church."

"How will he know to go there?"

"Zero."

Anna looked above everyone's heads.

Zero did a cute little flip in the air, a smile in his eyes as they met hers.

"Oh," she said, almost through her teeth. She immediately regretted it when Zero's expression fell. She wasn't angry with him of all creatures! She hurriedly smiled sheepishly at the sweetie, hoping he saw that she didn't mean to snap at him.

"…Anna," Zeldabourne said after a moment of thought.

The skeleton smile disappeared, and she looked forward with a flash of a scowl. She kept walking, her hair making a dry swish in the frigid air. Her sockets flashed upward as a looming steeple came into view around a street corner.

"…Anna, don't just ignore us," Helgamine said, patting Zeldabourne's arm to keep the other witch from snapping at Anna's attitude.

"Well, what else can I do?" Anna said with a forced laugh. She threw her arms open, "I'm obviously not in control of anything _w_ h _ats_ o _e_ v _er."_ She said it without raising her voice too much, but the sarcasm was almost tangible.

"Someone get the popcorn," Shock whispered, the boys giggling with her.

Anna glared at Shock, only to notice the young witch was limping. She didn't seem in pain, so it was likely severe if the injury made it physically hard to walk.

"Anna, I understand you're angry. And you don't want to speak to Jack. But be reasonable. There are demons about."

"And even if there weren't, would you still let me see my family?" Anna snarled. She stopped abruptly as they finally reached the large church. She grimaced at them, one foot on the lowest stone step as she turned around. "You wouldn't. Not even for a second."

"Anna."

"If I wasn't so _scared,"_ she spat the word, "Of Demons. Of _you_. I would have just kept going. On my own. So I won't pretend to be happy. I won't pretend to be 'reasonable.' Not for you. Not for Jack. Not for anyone."

"Fine. But this anger will get you nowhere! We can't stay," Helga said firmly, "Anna. Anna! Look at me, young lady!"

The witch held her broom out against Anna's midsection to keep her from walking away.

Anna's strained sockets shot toward her, jaw clenched.

Boogie's Boys shrank back at the venom between the two monsters while Zeldabourne watched, not entirely idle, but silent.

Helgamine stared at Anna's sockets, the darkness contrasting against the young monster's gleaming bone.

The witch's voice softened. Not much. But just enough for the skeleton to notice.

"Anna. Listen very carefully," she said evenly, her creaky dry rasp still fairly harsh. But the care in her words wasn't missed. "This isn't just about you, dear."

Anna frowned and swiped her hand through the air seriously. "I _never_ said…"

"Shush. I'm trying to explain," Helga snapped, "Demons… evil forces as some like to call them, the ones that know of us, have an inherent interest in us. In our world. In Halloween. They've been a…danger… _long_ before you appeared. They're always picking at the Veil like a human with a scab, damn the scars. In recent years they have been more active. But attempts to breach our world have always…"

She stopped, "…th-they've… not been wholly successful. Many monsters aren't even aware of the beating against our walls." Helgamine paused cautiously. "But ever since you came…and sometime before…"

"…What…"

"Small things. The pumpkins rotting early. Strange smoke shapes on the lake. A _feeling_ in the Hinterlands. Somehow…they can _touch_ Halloween, if minutely and in ways that wouldn't raise concern on their own."

"Like they're…testing…" Zeldabourne muttered darkly.

"That shadow thing in the woods…" Anna added.

" _THAT_ should _never_ have happened," Helgamine hissed. "More than two-thousand Halloweens of our town and never once has a demon possessed one of _our_ nightmares before, of all things." The witch sounded…scared. Almost. It was disturbing to even consider. "Annalise, whatever those soulless demons are doing has to do with you. I don't know how. I don't know why. But what I do know is that it isn't safe out here. For you particularly. So, until Jack can guarantee _everyone's safety…"_

Anna scowled at Jack's name, the malice something that didn't go unnoticed.

"…Then you're only safe back home."

"You're home! Not _mine!"_ Anna suddenly hissed, voice cracking as she raised her voice. Purple fire flashed to life around her fingers, curling up her hands like tiny snakes and licking between the gaps in the bones.

"You don't mean that."

"Anna be careful…" Zelda added, eyes latching on the fire, knowing Anna wasn't aware of what she was doing.

"Secrets! All these damn secrets! About me. About Jack! I'm sick of all of them! Sick of all of you lying to me. Demons, Angels, Monsters! Heaven and Hell! I didn't ask for _any of this!_ "

"Annalise! I'm just trying to give you context! Jack should explain more _when you're safe."_

Anna's fingers twitched, and a little voice in her head egged her on as she paced on the church steps. _Be angry. It's your right. They're all so loyal to Jack, would they really believe you? Would they support you?_

"No! I don't care if you're right! Do I get no say in my own fate?! If you weren't already dead, I'd…!" She took a step toward them.

The witches held their ground though Boogie's Boys stepped back from the metaphorical fire in Anna's eyes and the physical fire in her hands. This argument wasn't fun anymore.

The animals made sure to duck behind something.

Anna jolted like she was electrocuted as she saw her hand out the corner of her eyes and the bright flash of purple almost blinded her.

Everyone followed her violet flames with watchful eyes as Anna yelped and shook her hand in an attempt to extinguish the fire that felt as gentle as a soft summer breeze against her bones.

Once it was out, she stared at her empty hand for a moment. She could have sworn there was still a glow of purple, even as the yellow afterimage burned into the back of her skull faded.

Zeldabourne glared at Anna, the tense moment passed. "You'd what? _Kill us?"_

Anna started and flinched, sockets widening as she realized what she said. "N-no…I would never…" She shrunk back, covering her hands and tucking them close to her chest in shame.

 _They don't know what Jack did. It isn't fair to blame them._ She reminded herself as she sat on the steps.

 _Why did the thought of hurting them even cross my mind? That was strange and made no sense. It was so out of character for me._

"Not that you even _could_ kill us if you really lost your mind that much," Helgamine scoffed, playfully tapping Anna's shoe sole with her broom, "So I'll let it pass." She sat down on the church steps with a sigh, taking off her hat and wiping off a layer of frost.

"Off you pop, Zero," Zeldabourne said, "Find Jack."

Zero barked and zipped off into the night. He did cast a cautious glance back at Anna as she buried her head in her hands with a heavy sigh.

He couldn't pretend that he knew everything. Most of what the witches said was news to him too. He was still young, as in he wasn't dead long enough to know everything about Halloween.

Anna didn't look up as Helgamine poked her side.

"I can see those pearly ribs of yours, dearie," Helgamine scolded, Anna's behavior forgotten. Her icy knobby fingers ghosted at the tears in Anna's jacket's side and back. "And your spine. What the devil have you been doing to find yourself in this state?"

"Yeah. You look like a slob," Barrel mentioned, a little bit of bravery leaking out.

"Bugger off, imps," Zeldabourne snapped at him, keeping a carefully neutral face about her again. She hadn't lost her temper yet! Wh _at a_ m _i_ r _a_ c _l_ e.

Anna lifted her arm to look at the tear and muttered something incomprehensible as she peeled off the jacket. She frowned at the rips, poking her long fingers through them.

Zeldabourne's eyes narrowed as Anna's white blouse revealed a splotch of pinkish blood and sickly yellow around the hole through her shirt where the bottom of her spine was.

"Anna, who did that?" she demanded, not one for patience currently. She ignored Helgamine's glare.

"The Demon…" Anna muttered, keeping her voice low so they couldn't hear any emotion in it. "We were attacked at those weird trees with the…doors. It slashed my spine. It was possessing…a nightmare? How does that work? Are nightmare's like physical things with minds and all?"

"Not really," Helgamine butted in.

Zeldabourne wasn't interested in Anna's education at the moment. "It's already healed then?"

"Mostly. Jasper helped…somehow…and made me sleep. It's still aching a bit."

Zeldabourne scoffed and sternly turned Anna around to inspect the wound before the teen could complain.

Helgamine caught Anna's affronted glance. "Finkelstein is the healer when someone needs a scientific take on an issue or when time or pain doesn't matter. But some monsters prefer going to Zelda if they can. It often depends on who's the least cross of the two that day;"

Zeldabourne sniffed, ignoring Helga, "Jasper didn't _actually_ make a mess of it. There may be scarring, but the bone is mostly whole."

Jasper, still a ghost, sniffed at the insult to his abilities.

Anna shifted away from the witch and Zelda didn't protest, besides a cross motherly glare.

Anna frowned and turned away. She held her hand over the loose thread in her jacket's split fabric. A few frayed black strings waved in the air like metallic strands attracted to a magnet. "I wonder…" she muttered.

Anna stared at the tear and waved her hand, twitching her fingers like she was sewing. Little by little, the individual threads reattached themselves at the molecules, mending and knitting the tear closed like healing flesh until not even the scar of stitching remained.

Anna in her concentration didn't realize at least ten minutes passed while she worked.

The witches watched, impressed but too salty to say so as Anna flipped her jacket over to work on the slash in the back with her powers. No one interrupted.

It was a blessed moment of peace, as well as anything can be blessed with monsters. They just sat there on the long stone steps, long shadows cast by streetlights under a moonless dark sky. They were an odd group of creatures better suited as gargoyles for the church than visitors. It was mildly calm and quiet, except for the Trick or Treaters having their own private conversation a couple feet away,.

It was nice to ignore whatever evil was out there waiting for them. For a moment.

Anna was almost done with her jacket when she spoke, the cathartic feeling of using her powers to impossibly restore torn threads easing her nonexistent nerves a fair bit. "Why don't we go inside if we need holy water."

"We're monsters, Anna. Unclean souls," Helgamine explained, "We can't go inside, but the church will let us stay on the steps where not even demons can set foot. A courtesy really. We just have to wait."

"For what?"

"Anna!"

The skeleton jumped and looked up at the voice.

"Little Braid…?" Anna frowned in confusion.

She was abruptly interrupted as the Thanksgiving Citizen stalked right up to the tall sitting monster and socked her in the arm, surprising those in their growing little crowd who weren't familiar with the Thanksgiving Spirit.

They both shouted in pain.

Anna glared at her new friend and rubbed her arm.

"Ow. Ow," Little Braid hissed quietly, hopping for no real reason while she shook her dead hand and grimaced.

The witches raised their eyebrows, hundreds of hexes they would use on someone foolish enough to do the same to them flashing through each of their minds individually while Lock, Shock, and Barrel laughed derisively at the stranger. They really didn't care who this weirdo was.

"Well, I hope you broke it!" Anna mocked, rolling her shoulder. She ignored Jack who walked up with Governor Hale and Sweet Water, Zero trailing behind.

Jack opened his jaw to greet them cheerfully but shut it as his and Anna's eyes briefly met, the action hidden from the rest of the spirits behind the two skeletons' empty black sockets.

"Well, maybe you…." Little Braid struggled for a moment. "Should…shouldn't have such a hard arm…"

Anna gaped for a second and narrowed her eyes. "I'm made of bone!"

"Well that's your problem," Little Braid muttered stubbornly, massaging her temporarily unfeeling knuckles with a stubborn look.

"What'd you even hit me for?" Anna chided.

"Because you're an idiot," Little Braid retorted.

"You barely know me. Are we really close enough already that you think it's inconsequential to just _hit_ me?"

"You're the one messing with demons!"

"Girls."

They both shut up at the Governors tone. The woman didn't wear glasses. However, she did the disapproving look down the bridge of her nose that Anna previously was sure only people with glasses could pull off.

"Is everyone horrible…"Jack backtracked at the looks on the Thanksgiving people's faces. "Is everyone unharmed?"

"We're fine but…"

Anna interrupted Helgamine quickly before she forgot. She didn't look at Jack or even acknowledge him as she spoke to the witch instead. "Shock broke her ankle or something."

"Mind your own beeswax, Bone Brain," Shock muttered.

Lock smirked playfully (with only a little maliciousness) as he bumped Shock's hip. The smirk disappeared in surprise when Shock's foot went in, and she went down with a shout and colorful language easier than expected.

A long arm suddenly blocked the ground from meeting Shock's face.

The small witch fixed her balance and shot a glare at Jack, almost pushing his arm away.

Jack just raised his eyebrows, silently scolding Shock. He was only helping her. Jack's sight snapped from her to Lock and Barrel. His lacking eyebrows popped up.

Lock grinned defiantly, "Hiya Jack…" He lashed his tail, scratching the church steps.

Jack frowned. "What an _interesting_ surprise seeing _you three_ here..."

"Heh…funny story, Jack," Shock said sweetly, "You see…"

"Shock, I don't even have the wherewithal to deal with you three at the moment. We'll talk later," Jack said sternly, pointing a long stiff finger at each.

Boogie's Boys glanced at each other, surprised they weren't in trouble yet.

"And who, pray tell, are these children?" Governor Hale spoke up, eyeing the Trick or Treaters with concern, and maybe a bit disdain after hearing Shock's dirty mouth.

"Yes. Introductions! These three are Lock, Shock, and Barrel. The Town's finest Trick or Treaters…"

"Ah…" said Sarah, Little Braid, and Sweet Water, having no idea what that meant.

Little Braid didn't like the way those kids were looking at them.

Jack continued nonplussed. "Helgamine. Zeldabourne. This is a ruler of Thanksgiving. Governor, these are two of our most powerful witches," Jack announced with a streak of pride.

Sweet Water noticed Hale's slight recoil at the idea of witches, but he, of course, remained stoic and quiet as a guard until the Governor needed him. He sent his daughter a brief scolding look as she unceremoniously plopped herself upon the church steps next to the younger skeleton.

He watched suspiciously as the skeleton, "Anna," whispered something to Little Braid.

The girl frowned, perplexed, but nodded, agreeing with whatever Anna had requested.

Sarah Josepha Hale let out a breath, the moisture crystallizing in the air. She abruptly held out a hand to one of the witches, the taller one first. "Happy…Thanksgiving. I don't believe we've met. Governor Sarah Hale, ruler of Thanksgiving. My co-ruler, Chief Squanto, isn't here at the moment."

Helgamine stared at the outstretched hand before shifting her piercing-eyed glare upward at the woman without moving.

"Helgamine."

"Zeldabourne," the shorter witch echoed Helgamine's terse response.

Helgamine nodded, "And we don't take kindly to creatures who think to put our children in danger."

Sarah withdrew her hand awkwardly. "Is Ms. Grisholme your…daughter?"

Anna snorted.

The witches maintained a creepy long glare for a moment. "No," they said together.

Jack stepped between the women, raising his arms to placate them. "Ladies…"

As he did, Helgamine glanced at the ground in thought, brows knit and a strange expression that pulled her thin lips tight.

The Governor's question had stoked up a flame of thought. A single idea that Helga suddenly found hard to shake. She glanced at Zeldabourne out the corner of her eye, noting that the other witch had a similar feeling flashing across her face. She quickly shook her head. Only Zelda saw her.

Zeldabourne pulled her lips up in a snarl, wordlessly disagreeing with Helgamine.

It was easy to push the ideas away before when Jack wasn't there. But sometimes one little clue was enough to make the entire puzzle snap into place.

"No," she said again, interrupting Jack and making Helga flinch, "But she's…"

She glanced at Anna.

Zelda, despite everything she knew about Jack as her king and friend, hated him for just a single second as Anna's suddenly terrified gaze darted between Jack and the witch.

Anna glanced back at her in sharp, quick, and hastily hidden panic.

Zelda lost her nerve, and the words died in the air.

The Governor kept eye contact expectantly.

"…Our charge," Helgamine covered for the other witch. "She's our charge."

Perhaps it would have served Jack well to notice the witches discomfort and unspoken words.

As it was, he only twitched as they called Anna "their charge" though they knew full well that wasn't the case.

" _It was better that way,"_ he harshly reminded himself as he squashed the whisper that inched up frequently of late.

Is it really? Was there really no way to save Anna without turning her away?

Governor Hale's eyebrow twitched. She didn't believe for a second that Zeldabourne was planning to say, "our charge."

Anna stared at the witches in fear. They figured it out. _When?!_

"I see. Well," Sarah Josepha Hale clapped her hands, "Little point in dilly-dallying with devils about. Let's get you folks home, shall we?"

"Have you seen the Gatekeeper?" Jack asked the witches. He risked a look at Anna, startled to find her staring at Zeldabourne so nervously.

She sensed him looking and couldn't help but glance.

He stiffened as a mix of emotions flashed behind her sockets. After their last altercation, he was dreading, yet expecting the tension between them. He did scare her those days ago, trapping her in the fire ring like that. After the fact, he remembered that trapping someone in fire which burned her to death was a God-awful traumatizingly cruel thing to do. But her eyes told a different story not entirely connected to that event.

A far more profound fear than a simple panic attack flickered under her eyes. It was there but seemed to be hidden down below a heavy coat of anger.

Anger burned in her sockets, and Jack imagined sinking into the asphalt below his feet under her burning gaze.

She knew.

"No. I thought you knew where he went," Helgamine said.

Jack blinked slowly as he came back to the conversation. He just asked where The Raven…pardon…the Gatekeeper was.

"He came too?"

They were caught off guard by Anna's voice. It was bizarre. Hollow. Empty. Like the voice of an exhausted corpse moments before turning to dust.

Anna didn't seem to care nor notice everyone's reaction to her strange tone. Calling it "sad" wouldn't do her words justice. Empty. Just Empty.

Jack spoke softly at Anna, cutting through the concern in the cold air.

"Of course he did. He's your friend is he not?"

Anna's eyes fully met Jack's. "Then why did you come?"

"Anna," Helgamine scolded.

" _You_ are not my mother, Helga. Give me a moment," Anna deadpanned without breaking gaze with Jack.

"Perhaps we should excuse ourselves," Governor Hale said with a guarded tone, gesturing for Sweet Water to follow her.

Sweet Water motioned to his daughter. This seemed like a personal matter they shouldn't pry into.

Little Braid hesitated, casting Anna a wary glance.

Anna nodded at her, and the American cautiously went to Helgamine.

Little Braid's words sounded small and awkward in the tense silence, "Anna…said you need Holy Water. We can go in churches. Do you…"

Helgamine wordlessly interrupted the spirit and pulled three mason jars out of her bag, passing them to Little Braid who handed two of them off to her father and Mrs. Hale.

They walked up the church steps in silence, leaving the Halloween Citizens below.

Jack looked down. "Annalise…"

"Don't."

Jack nodded, not expecting anything else. He let the seconds tick by. He didn't deserve to say anything.

"Why?"

Jack looked at her with a mildly panicked expression, "Why...what?" It was a big question with many different meanings.

"Why did you choose Mira and the baby over me?" Anna shifted, acutely aware of their audience.

"That was her name? Mira?" Jack said, trying to keep his voice calm, even as his sight darted to the witches, the Treaters, and animals.

They were both treading on thin ice.

Anna only stared straight ahead. "You can't _remember?"_ she almost accused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shock interrupted.

Their audience of eight each sported various faces of confusion and maybe fear. There were a lot of anxious thoughts floating around. The witches at least, and maybe Zero, held an air of pity and morbid fascination as they watched Anna and Jack interact.

"I…" Jack started but stilled and looked at Anna.

"What?" Anna glared at him.

"…Do you wish them to know?"

Helgamine watched as Anna's expression melted from anger to one of surprise, just a little. She wasn't expecting Jack to give her such power. She suddenly seemed unsure.

"No," she said slowly, hesitant. She wasn't expecting to have a choice in the matter. She was half planning to just blurt everything out to spite Jack. But he was _giving_ her control of who knew their shared secret?

Jack nodded and made a strange gesture up at the sky.

Anna seemed to understand because she turned around sharply and started walking to the church, a terrifyingly livid glint in her socket once again.

"Wait! What's going on!?" Lock demanded. He started toward the skeletons but was suddenly held back by Zeldabourne grabbing the back of his red shirt.

"Stay here," she said tersely, her voice strict and crackly, leaving no room for argument.

Lock paled, more than usual, even as he glared at the witch for daring to tell him what to do. But he stayed.

Shock sneered at him for acting so passive, but she didn't try anything either.

Barrel just stared at the skeletons as they Faded and zipped up the side of the tall building to the roof, Jack trailing behind like he wasn't particularly looking forward to the coming conversation.

As for Anna, if an inky black shadow could look pissed as it darted up the wall of a church, Anna was managing it brilliantly.

"Someone better tell us _something_ eventually," Lock pouted crossly.

"Something tells me we'll all learn what we should once those two have a word," Helgamine said with an annoyed hiss. "I believe they're long overdue."

Anna didn't look up as Jack climbed up on the roof behind her.

She swung her feet and stared down at the street below. They were on the roof of her grandmother's old church. Anna wasn't Catholic.

She had memories of this place. They had her grandparent's funerals here. And her cousins' christening. Had she been christened; would that have saved her soul perhaps? Probably not.

The ground was a long way down. The height made her want to throw up and left this horrible twisting knot in the pit of where her stomach would be.

Fear. A fear of heights. It was just one more phobia to add to her list. She hated the growing list of things she was afraid of now. A month ago, she would have sat as close to the edge as reasonably possible without a care in the world. Now? She scooted a couple inches back at the next gust the Wind ambivalently sent her way.

She said nothing as the spindly form of Jack Skellington eased into a seat next to her, his own legs dangling off the edge of the roof

She looked at him out the corner of her eye and, somehow, she knew he was doing the same with his own dark circles.

They sat in silence for far too long, neither one wishing to speak first, but for very different reasons.

A flash of light caught Anna's eye, and she witnessed a shooting star streak across the night sky right in front of them. It was surprising to see it in the middle of Yomen, what with all the light pollution from town. Then again it was a new moon out.

She jumped and let out a short, startled scream at the childish gasp of glee that broke the silence. "My goodness! How _extraordinary!"_ Jack sat up straight and leaned dangerously forward as if hoping for another one. He took her arm in excitement, forgetting himself. "Did you see that, Anna?! Did you? How majestic! The wonder. I've never seen something so…so extraordinary in a while! I hope the others saw."

Anna nodded, looking at the skeleton in curiosity, a little taken aback by his passion for a shooting star. She stiffly pulled her arm out of his hand.

It was like he had forgotten entirely their tense situation and the conversation looming before them.

For a moment, his strange reaction made her forget how angry at him she was.

"We don't often see stars in Halloween town," the Pumpkin King said at her dumbstruck expression. He frowned slightly, but the distracting joy of the moment didn't leave his sockets. "I'll admit. It's sad that one of them fell. But it had such a stunning fall that such an occasion should be celebrated."

Anna didn't have the heart or energy to tell him that shooting stars weren't actually stars, though she found it strange that Jack didn't know this what with how old he really was. She opened her jaw to say _something_ , but there was suddenly an ache in her throat.

Jack's voice grew thoughtful and oh so serious, "I wonder if we can have funeral's for stars…."

It was very short—a single gasp of air, but the laugh that caught her off guard was enough to remind Anna of the façade she had somehow hidden her emotions behind the past few hours.

Jack tore his sight away from the majestic, awe-inspiring night sky that he almost never got to see when he heard Anna's noise.

He sobered. "The constellations are different from when I learned them as a boy. Orion. Pisces. Cygnus. Those were never the names I knew when I was alive. I can't even remember what they used to be. I wonder if I was the kind of child to make up my own."

Anna tapped her fingers on her knees and wiped her eyes with her other hand, angrily stifling the weak giggle.

"You didn't answer my question."

Jack looked at her, but Anna still refused to meet his gaze.

"Why I chose Mira and the baby over you?"

Anna nodded.

"The consequences were farther away," Jack admitted in shame. "I could…trick myself into thinking the future was so far away, it simply didn't matter to me. I made believe this moment wouldn't actually come."

His voice weakened, "I knew them. I knew my son and I knew who he loved. I…I didn't know who you would be, lass."

Anna scoffed at his explanation. She noticed the dip into a European accent. She didn't care.

"Does it really matter if you knew who I would be?" she hissed accusingly.

Jack cleared his "throat" uncomfortably. "I supposed I was always a little disillusioned from reality." He laughed at himself, "Now if I could just recognize what a fool I am _before_ I ruin things." He deflated slightly. "Anna…what I did…"

She scowled, a small noise growling from the back of her jaw.

Jack paused, then pressed on, not one to be frightened by another monster's growling. Not yet. Not hers. "What I did was a terrible thing. Inexcusable. I can't…"

Anna's tightened her fist and started to shake. She eyed him out the corner of her narrowed sockets.

Jack whispered, his own voice cracking, just a little. "You have every right to be angry—"

"I hate you."

Jack's jaw clicked shut audibly as Anna broke her glare at him to cover her eyes with one hand, her teeth gritted, and corners of her mouth pulled back into a vicious snarl under her covered eyes.

Hot liquid leaked around her hands, dry skin-less sticks that couldn't seal the crying away from the rest of the world even if she somehow had skin on her face to press against.

Her thin bony hands lent no emotional protection.

Jack flinched as she spoke, feeling like a scolded child at every broken word that hit him in the ribcage despite how much he knew he deserved it.

A memory long since past echoed in his skull.

 _A ghost, flesh on her bones, blood everywhere, and the smell of burnt flesh in the air, hissed at the sting of the cleaning as Jack got to work._

 _"Cease thy fidgeting, spirit!" Jack muttered._

 _The spirit looked on, trying to be as still as she could. She glared at Jack in resentment. "I hate you." Immediately, her stomach dropped at those words, and she regretted it._

 _She stifled the regret and stiffened, glaring at the bone man stubbornly._

 _Jack felt her stiffen and looked at her in confusion. "I've done many things I no longer find pride in, maiden. But I remember the faces of those I've wronged, and you are not one such creature."_

 _"Yet."_

He should have listened.

 _"I'm sure," he had said in veiled amusement._

 _"You're going to remember this, aren't you?" the spirit had said, wistful at the time._

Jack closed his eyes, pulling out of the memory forcefully. Based on what he could remember, that old memory was likely from Anna's perspective not too long ago, between now and their last fight.

"I hate you." The words were soft broken noises that escaped Anna's mouth like the precious breath of a drowning man. She was desperate to hold them in. But for so long she had hidden away everything she felt about this horrible story that tied her fate to Jack's choices.

Jack was silent, as he had been for weeks.

Somehow, his silence angered her more. It was like he was the child and she was the two-thousand-year-old entity. She _wanted_ him to defend himself! To _try_ justifying himself. Where was that pride of his now?!

"I hate you!" she screamed desperately, her eyes still covered and her shattered voice crisp in the cold air. She needed to believe it. Anger was the only emotion she could control in this situation, "I hate you! I hate you! You took away everything and I…"

There was a pain in her chest.

She cried too much today.

"I h-hate you!" she sobbed.

She cried. She broke down there on the steps, almost falling forward as she bowed her head farther and wept. She ignored the crumbling of stone under her fingertips as she gripped them with supernatural strength.

Her frustrated shout into the open air wasn't that horrible, bone-chilling wail of loss, confusion, and fear from when she first woke up in Halloween and got lost in the Hinterlands. It wasn't like that helpless, pleading weeping she felt when learning how her family was faring.

This was quieter. Hopeless. The terrible crushing fear of a not having a choice in her own fate was squashed under her anger for far too long. This was the crying of a teenage girl with a death sentence and the weight of everything awful that had ever happened to her piled high on her shoulders. She felt like cracking under pressure. She was already dead. Would it be any escape to merely tip forward and shatter against the stone steps below her?

Pathetic. She rarely ever cried when she was alive. She always thought it was a sign of weakness. Weakness came from fear and sadness. Fear was something she never had, and she rarely was sad in life. Why should she be sad? She had everything she needed. Friends.

Family.

Love.

A _Home_. That's all she ever wanted. Home. Even if her human life left her trying too hard to fit in—to be accepted—it was still home.

The church steps felt so far away. She could easily fall to them from where she was seated.

Thoughts were abruptly cut as long arms, thin and hard like hers under the sleeves, grabbed her by the arm and shirt and pulled her back to keep her from tipping forward.

"I hate you…" Anna sobbed as she struggled against Jack.

Jack nodded but didn't say anything.

"I hate you," she whispered, still crying. She hit Jack's chest unaware of how strong she was.

"I know," he murmured back, voice dry and cracking. He knew his touch was unwelcomed, but he awkwardly held Anna tighter, wary of the long fall they were inches from. He felt a rib, or two, crack from her blows but didn't dare react. "I'm sorry." His words felt worthless.

"I…h-hate you," Anna screamed.

 _But she's also scared._ Jack resisted the urge to yank his hand away at the unbridled wave of fear that washed over him when he gripped her arm.

It was painful to sense—like frozen needles stabbing his spine over and over again. Anna didn't know how to shield or block her aura from anyone except herself. A bit counterintuitive.

It was a gift and curse to be creatures made of emotions. Much of their survival ran on human emotions and belief, but that didn't mean they couldn't feel as well.

Jack didn't want to feel this fear of hers.

It was messy. Painful. A poisonous decay that was desperate to latch onto his own soul like a parasitic vine.

Anna was terrified, her rage at him like a little child drowning in an ocean darker than rancid blood.

That child was strong at first, but the cold waves of fear were leeching away the small body's energy. They were fighting, making sure Anna had something else to cling to besides a formless void of fear.

Jack understood that feeling.

Anna was so scared.

He didn't need to sense it like he did. Only hearing the desperation in her voice would have been enough.

She needed this anger, or else she was going to drown in her fear.

So be it. Let her be angry at him.

There was something else.

Jack didn't recognize it at first.

Love, he realized after a moment. He imagined it like a small island in the ocean. Maybe it wasn't actually small, but it was so far away from the fear she was feeling now that it might as well be. He assumed it was her family she loved so much, but she was struggling in the ocean, and she was too far away from the island to possibly reach it.

His stupid long hands were shaking he realized. Of all the times to develop a tick.

He had no place to do so, but he held on to Anna like a lifeline. It was strange, he knew. But there was no one else up on that roof with them. He didn't have to be the Pumpkin King. He could just be a man who made so many mistakes. He could be a man desperate to correct one from his past. Just one. One horrible mistake.

"I'm so sorry," he said as if repeating it could somehow make everything go away. He wished that was how it worked. If he could just be _sorry_ enough.

Anna felt him shake. "Do you know what you took from me?" she said through gritted teeth, though she didn't pull her arm away.

Jack was diligently staring at her, resigned to her hatred. He didn't answer at first. "Yes," he said eventually.

"I'm _never_ going to be beside them as my brother and sister grow up," Anna started, voice dripping in anger and grief as she gathered the strength for all her words, "I won't be there as they turn into adults with lives of their own and beautiful families. I'm reduced to fading memories and a few photographs and maybe a pile of magic bones haunting their grandchildren.

My parents are going to grow old and die one day, _and I can't be there!_ I won't even be waiting for them in Heaven like they hope. I'm stuck down here! And what will they think of me when I'm not there to greet them?" She cringed in shame, tears stinging her nonexistent eyes.

Jack flinched.

"My best friend will get married, and I can't be there by her side or her by mine. We promised each other that much."

"Anna…" Jack's voice was breathy like he was struggling to speak. Yet he still sounded calmer than Anna.

"But you know the worst thing?" Anna whispered, "I never said it out loud or even thought about it long enough to put it into words. I didn't write it in the journal the witches gave me because I was afraid and didn't want to face truth I already knew. Because I was never a very mushy type of person. Because I'm a _sixteen-year-old girl_ , who _knew_ we weren't ready yet. I know we were too young. I knew. _He_ knew."

Anna cried. "I am _never_ going to grow old with the man I love." She was so tired struggling with her emotions that she couldn't bring herself to care how schmaltzy her words were sounding.

Jack reacted by defensively holding her hands as Anna reached out and gripped his suit lapels. She didn't pull him close but was harsh enough to turn him toward her.

Jack didn't resist.

She gripped his coat tight, glaring eye to eye.

Jack slowly let go of her hands, raising his in surrender.

Immediately Anna began to smell the charring of his suit in her grip. It was a harsh, acrid smell of burning spider silk.

"He proposed that night," Anna hissed, hands tightening. "We were too young. We both knew that. We're sixteen for crying out loud!" Anna closed her eyes. Her voice softened, turning almost wistful. "But we were sure. So very sure. We were willing to wait, no matter how long. Until we were both ready, whether that meant college, jobs, or just time. He gave me a promise ring, Jack!"

Anna paused turning her skull, just enough to see the tops of the houses spread out below and around them.

For a moment, just a small one, Jack felt Anna tense with a dull creak of bones, and he _knew_ that she was so hurt and so _angry_ that throwing him from the roof seemed reasonable. He knew the feeling personally.

Perhaps they were more alike than either of them were willing to admit, or wanted.

Hell wasn't interested in claiming his soul all those years ago for his good looks after all. That was so very long ago. He wasn't that man anymore. Not since long before he died.

He gave up that life for his family. His human family. James. His…wife…whose name it pained him not to be able to remember. His daughters. Evelyne. That was one name he was sure of. Somewhat. But the baby… he wrote it down somewhere. He had to. Even Mira was his daughter…though she was only ever a random village child when he was alive.

Now here he was staring into the sockets of his family (for that's what he and Anna were, no use denying it) knowing that this darkness inching into her heart was his fault in many more ways than one. His blood. His mistakes. His apathy. His desperation.

His selfishness.

It didn't matter to Anna that he changed. It shouldn't.

Anna let go.

Jack stared at her, slightly surprised she didn't shatter him on the pavement in front of the others waiting below. It wouldn't kill him, yes. Or even really hurt him in the long run. But it was the principle. Anna deserved to take her anger out on him any way she pleased.

"I could never love another like I love Mark," Anna said, purposely using the present tense.

They didn't speak for a few minutes.

Jack looked forward and leaned forward, skeleton hands holding his skull tiredly while bony elbows bit into his knees. He was silent like he had been for much of the conversation.

Anna stared down at the ground. She didn't care if he was crying. She didn't even check.

He probably wasn't. Even after everything, it seemed wrong to imagine Jack could even cry.

It still made her blood boil (figuratively) just thinking about Jack and what he did. At the very least, he didn't _deserve_ to cry. "I have to go back to Halloween, don't I?"

Jack nodded. "Yes."

"And I can't risk leaving ever again. Not even _on_ Halloween."

"I'm afraid so."

"That's why you never trained me," Anna said, the pieces clicking together like rusty gears, "If I learned from you, you'd eventually have to let me join the others on Halloween night. I'd be out here where _that demon_ can get me."

"…I was trying to protect you."

"You expect me to thank you?" she hissed.

Jack's resigned silence was all the answer she got.

"I'm not you, you know," she whispered bitterly.

Jack glanced at her.

"I wasn't going to throw you off the roof."

"Spirit, how did you…" Jack questioned with a frown before shutting his mouth.

Anna stared at him, the nickname the Jack of the past called her hanging in the air. Spirit, Lass, Banshee. All names he called her when he couldn't know her name.

"…I didn't realize everyone was sensing my emotions all the time…" Anna muttered, disturbed that she could sense Jack's surface thoughts, though not actually hear them and only when she touched him.

"They don't. It's rude," Jack explained shortly. "It's usually for humans…or new arrivals who have such strong emotions nobody can help but feel it.

Anna sneered.

"Annalise…"

"Do _not_!" she snarled. "I want to know _everything._ How you knew who I was when I arrived since I was a bloody human mess when you first met me. Why demons are so freaking petty. Why that _Reaper_ couldn't fix this. Why _me!_ " Anna forced herself to take a breath, the useless air whistling in her ribcage.

She let the seconds tick while she breathed.

"But not right _now…"_ she whispered, barely audible.

She looked at him, and he straightened. "But if I have to spend _eternity_ seeing _you_ every day, then by God we have enough days to fill with you explaining _everything_ to me in detail."

"Yes," Jack muttered. "If I may say one thing…" He took a breath, similar to hers. He winced as a rib Anna cracked earlier made an uncomfortable popping noise, loud enough for Anna to jump. "Just to be clear…I don't expect you to ever forgive me, no matter how sorry I am."

Anna's sockets widened a bit. She stared at him and frowned suspiciously. "…And?"

"That's it."

She blinked, caught off guard that he hadn't tried to shift blame at all. "Well…well, I wasn't planning on it…" she said coldly.

Jack nodded and hummed, his sockets narrowing in thought as he stared out over the town for a moment.

"We can't stay here," he said.

Anna nodded stiffly, a shiver striking her spine as she remembered what waited below.

Jack waited for a moment before nodding and turning to leave first. He knew she needed space.

Anna waited until the sounds of him leaving were quiet.

She looked up at the stars. She wanted to ask for help, but she couldn't think of what to say. She wasn't entirely sure He was even listening.

She hummed softly, bleeding barely uttered words into the small tune. She was off key, she knew, but she didn't care. Maybe it was weird to her human mind, but the lyrics ran through her skull and wouldn't leave her be.

It felt better than screaming at the sky at least.

 _You say that you know me, but what does that mean?_

 _A mistake, a heartache, or more than I seem_

 _A sister, a friend, or a lost crying child_

 _But in the end, am I left unreconciled_

 _With the tug of the heartstrings that rattle the bone_

 _I ask what conscience let you all but condone_

 _My soul to be broken, my future unspoken_

 _I wish for a life where my fates are my own_

 _I pray for a family that I love to the bone_

" _Not yet", do I cry and not yet will I try_

 _I wait by the shoreline of forgive and forget_

 _Lost under waves of fear and cold sweat_

 _A home lost to flames just as I made my place_

 _How long till forget my own face_

Her voice trailed off on a high note, her short song unfinished in the crescendo. She dropped down to a soft lullaby whisper.

" _Not yet" is a promise._

" _Not yet" is a creed._

" _Not yet" is a vow to try; though I may not succeed_


	34. Chapter 34: Perspectives

**So, I went back to check the rating for my story. It's rated Teen for a reason. I try to avoid strong language in my writing if I can but sometimes a character will suffer more if I don't use it when they really would have. Also, sorry about Sarah. The human one. Not the Thanksgiving Citizen.**

 **Sorry chapters are taking so long. Advice you any of you going off to college. Please. Please for your own sake, don't sign up for 16 credit hours.**

* * *

Chapter 34

Perspectives

* * *

 _Thanksgiving Day 1995_

 _Afternoon, hours before Anna came to the Real World_

* * *

The flash of a sharp movement pulled his eyes away from a listless stare at the dash of his car.

Marcus August Deaton watched without reaction as James snapped something at Jillian, a bag of nuts spilled on the ground between them.

Mark pretended not to have seen the event when James jogged to the street and slid into the passenger seat of the teenager's car, slamming the door a little harder than necessary.

The two boys didn't say anything until the form of Jillian quietly huddled on the curb faded into the distance.

"Everything alright?" Mark said, voice even.

James made a small noise, looking away with a glare and pulled his legs up to his chest, tangling himself in the seatbelt.

"She didn't want to come." The preteen distractedly shoved a half-empty bag of nuts in the cupholder.

Mark gestured at them with his chin. "Those for the Ram?"

"He doesn't like you calling him that."

"Well he's not here," Mark said, a grin peeking through.

James smirked, but the smile didn't last. He turned his face away and looked out the window.

Mark kept his eyes on the road as he merged into traffic, the Thanksgiving rush to get home if work let out early crowding the street of Yomen. It wasn't too bad. Mark was thankful Yomen wasn't that huge of a town.

"Why won't she talk to me?"

Mark jumped, startled by the voice after a long stretch of silence. He glanced at the kid four years his younger and tried not to sigh.

"Everyone…everyone has their way of coping…" he said, lamely.

"What are _you_ doing?" James snapped in response, the harshness in his voice sudden and biting. "How are _you_ 'coping'?"

Mark looked surprised but kept his eyes on the road best he could.

He didn't answer as he pulled into the building complex where Dr. Ramsey had his practice. He still didn't answer until he had found a parking spot and pulled out the keys.

"James…" Mark said slowly, "Do you actually want to talk to me about her?"

James' stubborn glare hardened. "Say her name."

"Anna. Do you really want to talk to me about Anna? You've barely said more than a couple words to me lately," Mark pointed out hesitantly.

"Dr. Ramsey said it would help to talk to someone besides him if I wanted. He suggested you since you're always bringing me here anyway," the younger boy frowned, "Mom forgot our appointment again. I didn't want her driving." He muttered the last sentence with bitterness.

Mark's lips twitched downward at that but didn't comment as James continued.

"And it's like everyone's afraid to talk about her around us," James said furiously. "It's like they're _trying_ to forget her."

"No one's going to forget her, James," Mark interrupted, voice distant. "Everyone's…just...shocked. They're shocked. It's only been a month.

James stared at him expectantly and didn't press for his answer as Mark set his forehead against his steering wheel and breathed sharply.

After a moment, Mark nodded and sat back, sinking into the car seat a little. "I'm not coping. Not very well at least. What does that even mean? Coping."

James didn't avert his gaze, eyes reflecting a seriousness older than his years. "She'd think it's stupid."

"What?"

"Us being sad like this," James said, "She's probably having a party right now." James glanced outside at the large uninviting building looming outside. "She probably started tracking down all her favorite writers the second she got to Heaven."

"Who do you think she went for first?" Mark asked, cringing from a pain in his chest as he spoke, but pushing through it. He already knew the answer.

"Edgar Allen Poe definitely," James snorted. "He probably thinks she's crazy. Did you know she memorized the whole Raven poem?"

"James, I was there when she jumped on the stage for a talent show and pretty much rapped the whole thing. You were like, eight." Mark struggled to remember the words for a moment. "Uh…Once upon a midnight…something something."

" _Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…"_ James recited, recalling countless days of hearing Anna recite her favorite verses from behind a thin bedroom wall. " _Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.'_ I think I remember that. Did she get in trouble for arguing with the principal?"

Mark smiled and nodded, impressed at how much James had memorized merely from Anna's insistence at using her siblings as a practice audience, "They didn't think the poem was appropriate, so they told her to stop then turned off the microphone when she didn't."

"…What did she do?"

"Oh, she kept going, yelling the rest of the poem out to the crowd and running around so the teachers couldn't catch her. Then she started yelling that Halloween wasn't the Devil's birthday and that it was stupid people kept saying that." He let out a strained laugh. "She said it was only okay to call it the Devil's birthday if they were referring to her."

James stony expression broke for a split second. "She was a really strange person."

Mark nodded, a lost expression filling his face. Is. _Is_ a really strange person.

"Mark?"

"…Yeah…"

"Did you…" James trailed off before he even asked.

Mark waited for a long second. He glanced at James to ask what his he was talking about and froze at the look on the boy's face.

James stared straight ahead, tears brimming in his eyes as he refused to let them fall. "Did my dad call you?" His voice cracked.

Mark nodded softly. Without a word, he pulled a small chain out from under his shirt, threaded through a silver ring that glinted in the light, slightly tarnished by scorch marks no matter how many times he ran it through his mother's jewelry cleaner. It was somewhat warped, proof of heat that should have melted it, yet it had remained whole somehow. His fingers shook as he held the ring where James could see.

James sniffed, his voice wavering. "Dad…uh…dad s-said it was in Evidence, but the police chief gave him permission to take it to give it back to you after they…cataloged it and…stuff."

"I know," Mark said, "He told me…"

"Did she say yes?"

Mark stared at James, caught off guard by the question. "What?"

"Did she say she would marry you?"

"I wasn't…" Mark stalled for a second, "I said this at the memorial. James…I wasn't proposing. I was promising that I was going to propose later. When we were older. We're only sixteen. We both agreed it was kind of stupid to get married now, or even two years from now."

"So?"

Mark acquiesced. "She said yes."

James sunk into his seat, the tense silence stifling.

They were startled by a sudden knock on the driver side window.

Mark jumped, jerking away on instinct.

The figure outside waved apologetically, and Mark sighed in relief as he opened the door.

"Hey Sarah," he greeted.

"Hi. Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Nah. I just thought you were someone else."

"Who?"

James started gathering his stuff as the two teenagers talked.

"Rick. He's been kind of stalking me lately," Mark said, far too calmly for the girl's liking.

Sarah jumped in shock. "The cult guy?"

Mark shrugged and nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets as a harsh breeze whistled by.

Sarah was about to ask him why he's never mentioned something like that before. However, she was interrupted by a startled shout, and the slam of the car door as a strong gust of wind caught the side of James' door and shoved it closed before the kid could exit, bruising the arm he was using to open it.

"The wind's really strong today," she called over the noise as Mark ran around the car to help James get out.

"I don't remember the forecast saying anything, but it's been like this all day," Mark half shouted as a leaf whipped past his face.

"Really?" Sarah frowned. "It's been pretty normal all day to me." She glanced up at the sky as Mark actively struggled with the door for a second, the wind slapping her long hair into her face. "Except now…"

"Air pockets?" James muttered shortly, though he wasn't sure it was the right thing to say. He managed to get out and closed the car door with a glance at Mark. He quickly grabbed his bag and bunched his sweatshirt close to himself as he quickly walked toward the building.

Mark tried to say "goodbye," but his words were lost as the wind kicked up again, whipping as if attempting to tear their coats off.

Then as quickly as the small storm had started, it stopped the second James disappeared inside, reducing to a chill breeze that curled around Mark and Sarah.

If they had considered it, they might have thought the wind felt almost frustrated.

Mark stared after James for a moment before turning back to Sarah. He leaned on the roof of his car and gestured at the blond, blowing his own locks out of his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got out of the doctor's."

"You're seeing Ramsey too?" Mark knit his brows.

"The school counselor's an idiot," Sarah rolled her eyes. "I told my 'rents I didn't need anyone, but they took away my phone privileges unless I talked to someone, ironically. I figured Ramsey was a good choice since he knew Anna pretty well."

Mark sunk into his arms a bit. "I haven't seen you around much."

"I usually come Tuesdays," Sarah said as she shifted on her feet, "But I had to miss."

Mark's mouth twitched. That wasn't what he was asking, and he was pretty sure Sarah knew. But he didn't press.

"How come?"

The other teen ducked a bit, scowling even as she looked away in embarrassment. "I..uh…I went to the city council meeting instead. They were talking about what to do about the school."

Mark didn't react. "You never cared for that stuff before."

Sarah shrugged her arms and folded them from the cold. "I heard they were talking about rebuilding the school and naming it after her."

"Oh."

"I just wanted to make sure they weren't idiots about it," Sarah huffed. She looked up in anger, though it wasn't directed at Mark. "You know Mrs. Roberts?"

"Uh…I know Cash Roberts," Mark said with a frown. "He's on the basketball team."

"Yeah well, his mom said some crap about it being 'inappropriate to name the school after such a traumatic event.'"

Mark scoffed, "Does she even talk to her kid? Everyone wants to name it for Anna."

"Well, at least some of the others listen to their kids I think. She got shot down. But someone else suggested making a sculpture or some crap as a 'compromise.'"

Mark sighed. "Anna would hate anything besides…a book or something named after her." His eyes drifted to the side, "You know, Mrs. Robert isn't half wrong. I don't really want to go to a school with a name that reminds me my girlfriend died. Or James and Jillian's sister."

Sarah glared at him.

Mark jumped as Sarah stalked around the car and went right up to his face before he had even processed what she was doing.

"You listen here, you selfish prick."

Mark blinked in surprise and instinctively stepped back as Sarah poked his chest.

"She freaking gave her life to save her brother and sister, and if you don't think that's the most badass thing you've ever heard then you better throw that little trinket away," she poked the ring dangling around his neck into the flesh of his chest. "I'll sooner get my virginity back than let anyone forget what she did."

They stared at each other, lingering inches apart.

Sarah glared at him with righteous anger, sure in her reasons.

Mark smirked at her wording in sad amusement. "I sometimes forget exactly why you were her best friend."

"Still am you ass." Her tone left absolutely no room for argument. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I have the appointment after James," Marcus said as Sarah got out of his personal space. "I volunteered to drive him and Jillian when I ran into them and Mrs. Grisholme coming out a couple weeks ago."

Sarah didn't question where Jillian was, her personality suddenly back to her usual. "It's nice of Dr. Ramsey's to have appointments for us on Thanksgiving."

"Yeah. I'm surprised you're here, no offense, because I mentioned it and someone told me he never does that unless it's an emergency."

"He's probably extra nice to us because of Anna and all."

"Probably," Mark shrugged.

* * *

As the older humans caught up outside, James made the short trek to the floor where the therapist's office was.

The receptionist lady glanced at him a moment and cast a sweet smile.

"James Grisholme," the boy said automatically.

"I already have you in, James," she said kindly, though her eyes were tired. "The doctor's in the restroom. You can just go on into the office. He shouldn't be more than a couple minutes."

James adjusted his backpack and nodded, his movements slight and jerky. As he opened the door, he and the receptionist jumped in shock at the sound of glass shattering in the nearby bathroom.

The receptionist quickly waved James in the other room and went to go check on Ramsey.

James was idly studying the various pictures of Ramsey's family and friends and the other decorations when the doctor came in.

The boy cast the doctor a short glance and started to turn back around. He never sat down until the doctor asked him too. But a flash of dark red caught his eye, the crimson in stark contrast to the browns and blues and softer colors of the room.

James stared at the cloth seeped with blood on the doctor's hand. "What happened?"

Ramsey looked up, almost like he had forgotten James was waiting in the room for him. "Ah, James!" He grinned and held up the hand sheepishly. "I broke the potpourri jar in the bathroom."

James looked really confused.

"A potpourri is a jar or bowl of dried flowers and herbs to make someplace smell nice," the therapist explained as he sat, adjusting his glasses as he realized the question on James' lips.

James nodded, "I didn't realize those things were called anything."

"Learn something new every day. Have a seat, James."

James did so, pulling out something from his backpack. He swung the small bag of nuts at the doctor. "I got you this," he said awkwardly.

Ramsey chortled for a second. "Nuts?"

"Anna said you liked them," James said.

Ramsey controlled himself and sighed, taking the bag with a nostalgic grin. "Your sister is quite the character. She likes to compare me to a squirrel and often brought me 'gifts' to remind me." The doctor leaned back in his chair. "We're coming up on a month. How are you holding up?"

James shrugged. "The burns are almost completely gone. The doctor said I could take the band-aids off next week. Bandages," he corrected, "The big ones." Talking about his injuries made him suddenly aware of the phantom itching and the crinkling of the wrappings at every little movement. He grimaced and hugged his backpack tighter into his stomach.

"That's great to hear, but I think you know that's not what I meant."

James didn't answer.

Ramsey let the silence stretch on for a couple minutes before peeking at his file.

"I spoke to your mother the other day," he said, waving his hand at the panic on James' face. "It's okay, I didn't tell her anything you've told me during our sessions. I just asked what she had noticed about you and your sister. She tells me you've been doing very well in school. Your grades have gone up a lot recently."

James shifted.

"You were doing well, but were fairly lax about school work before the fire right?"

James shrugged.

"Why the change?"

"I don't know."

"Can I tell you what I think?" Ramsey said, setting down his notes when James nodded. "I think you're focusing on school because you think it's the one thing you can control. Something mindlessly repetitive, despite your concentration issues."

James shrugged. "Maybe."

"What do you think?"

The boy stared at him, not sure what to say. "I think…" he trailed off, but Ramsey sat patiently.

"I'm really worried about Mom and Dad and Jilly," he said slowly, tasting the words. "Mom's drinking wine a little too often I think, and Dad's never home. He's always at the station even though his boss won't let him work on the fire. I think…I think maybe…I…just don't want them to worry about me. No one else is fine, so I have to be the 'fine' one."

"Hm. And Jillian. How is your sister doing? I noticed she isn't here today."

James shrunk into himself a bit. "She didn't want to come. We got into a fight about it."

"Is she speaking now?" Ramsey asked surprised. His eyes narrowed in interest.

"No. She just slapped the nuts out of my hands," James looked up at the doctor, brows knit, "She still hasn't said anything to anyone."

"Well, sometimes a traumatic event can scare people into silence. Give her time James," Ramsey kept his voice even and understanding. "Have you ever been so surprised that you're speechless? And it's only until after the event happened that you think…" the man snapped his fingers, "'Now why didn't I say that?!' It's kind of like that except stretched out a long time. Or perhaps, more simply, she's just not ready to talk."

James shrugged.

Ramsey looked thoughtful for a moment.

James glanced up in confusion when the psychiatrist stood.

The man walked to a bookshelf alongside one wall. He surveyed the photos propped up and filling the shelves. After a moment, he picked up one of them and turned back around.

"I know you haven't been keen on talking with me these past few weeks." Ramsey settled back into his chair, picture frame in hand, careful of the bandage. "I'm very proud that you've been willing to do this, even if it's just to keep your family from worrying about you. What regardless of your motives, it's so vital that you're _trying."_

James glanced away. "I don't want to have anything wrong with me."

"James," Ramsey said seriously. "There's nothing wrong with missing your sister."

"Yes, there is!" James snapped through gritted teeth, his voice louder than he intended. "There's something very wrong with that because I _shouldn't be missing her in the first place._ " He pounded a fist into the arm of the chair, " _She_ should be sitting here, not me. She should be sitting here talking to you about her brain, learning tricks to pass as normal."

Ramsey sighed, "James, believe me, or don't, but I miss her too." He handed James the picture frame. "I've been Anna's doctor for a long time. I love her like one of my own. She has this…bright color around her soul that was hard to ignore and a personality to match."

James stared at the mischievous smile of Anna that looked up at him from the photo.

She was grinning, a milling crowd behind her while a somewhat uncomfortable looking Dr. Ramsey posed with a hand on her shoulder.

"She asked your mother to take that when we went to a neuroscience lecture convention last year," Ramsey explained. "In Seattle, you remember."

"I remember. Dad was going to go with you, but something came up at his job, so mom went, and we stayed over at friends for a couple days," James set the frame on his lap. "Anna called every night talking about how cool it was."

"Really?" Ramsey hummed, "I thought she was bored. Guess I'm not doing my job right huh?" He winked, and James blinked at him.

James tried to hand the photo back, but Ramsey shook his head.

"You can keep it for a couple days. I'm sure you've gotten used to seeing the pictures you already have."

"You sure?"

Ramsey nodded and tightened the cloth around his hand a little more.

* * *

Mark glanced at his watch and jumped when he realized the time. He slapped closed the book he was reading and left the first-floor lobby.

James was just coming out when he arrived.

"How'd it go?"

James shrugged. "Good."

"Well, that's an improvement. Usually, you say 'fine,'" Mark immediately regretted the comment when James looked annoyed, "You got your homework?"

James nodded.

"Cool," he glanced around… "Dude, where's the receptionist?"

James looked up and frowned. "She was here earlier."

"Amy had to go home," Ramsey said, poking his head into the room. "Family emergency. Come on in Mark."

Mark turned back to James, distracting the boy from staring at the receptionist desk, "Hey buddy, your mom has the office number, right?"

James rolled his eyes, "Yeah. I'll come get you if I need to go home."

"Get started on that English assignment."

James muttered something under his breath and settled into the couch in the waiting room.

"You've been very involved with the Grisholme household," Ramsey said as he sat down for a third session that day. His eyes flitted to the bag of nuts still on the table.

Mark shifted and glanced out the window. "Is that wrong?"

"Not necessarily," Ramsey said quickly. "I'm just curious about your motivations."

"Anna would have wanted me to take care of them."

"Would she really."

Mark bristled, "You think she wouldn't?"

Ramsey held up his hands placatingly. "Mark, I'm not accusing. I'm just concerned."

"About _what?"_

"If you're taking on the older sibling role to make up for Anna's absence, it shouldn't be out of guilt. I fully support you supporting their family, G-…" he paused for a second.

Mark was embarrassedly reminded of the time he ranted at God in front of the Doctor during a session. He said some pretty awful, angry things at the Big Man Upstairs. Why did Anna have to die? What could he have changed? Why did God let this happen? Things he thought anyone would ask, plus a few angry curses.

But the Doctor had just smiled and congratulated Mark for getting in touch with his emotions instead of hiding them like he did daily.

" _Goodness_ knows they need some support," the "Ram" continued as if he hadn't just spent a second considering his words. "However, if you intend to help them, you should prepare yourself for the inevitability that they won't need you anymore. Humans heal, Marcus. And when that happens are you still willing to be a figure in Anna's siblings' life? Or will you leave them the second your debt is paid?"

"What are you talking about, doctor," Mark scoffed, "I'm not just going to abandon Anna's family. I made a promise."

"A promise?"

"I promised Anna that I was going to make things right, as best I can," the sixteen-year-old said gravely, leaning forward.

Ramsey leaned forward, mirroring the young man's posture, "What does 'right' entail, Mark?"

Mark hesitated, words just barely on the tip of his tongue. A feather-light touch of an idea brushed the back of his mind before he forcibly shoved it down.

The doctor stared at him, not breaking eye contact.

"I'm not entirely sure, sir," Mark admitted slowly, deciding some things might get him admitted to an institution, "I think it'll change as I go, but right now that means taking the pressure off her parents and taking care of her brother and sister."

"But not loving them."

That caught Mark off guard. For a moment he could only stare at Ramsey uncomprehending. "What?"

"Taking care of someone is often an obligation. You don't need to love them to do that."

"Of course, I love them!"

"Be sure of that," Ramsey said sternly. "Let move on, shall we? Unless you want to continue? I just want you to turn over these thoughts in your head for a while. You don't have to say anything, but I want to know what you think when you come back next week."

Mark sat back in his seat a thoughtful frown on his face. He nodded stiffly and gestured for the man to move on.

Ramsey nodded and glanced down at his notes. "How has your social life been, Mark?"

"Fine."

"Define fine? You still going to basketball practice?"

"Mostly. I woke up late a couple times last week."

"Sleeping well?"

Mark stiffened. "Yeah."

Ramsey eyed him, "I won't press, but you know I can tell you're lying."

Mark shifted and looked away. He didn't want to discuss the nightmares. Fire. Black and White. Screaming. Anna begging him to save her.

He shut his eyes forcibly. Sometimes they weren't so bad. Sometimes he was in another world, a world where she didn't die. They got married. She was a history professor and writer, he was a Marine, or maybe a lawyer. He didn't have his life planned out like Anna did. Sometimes they had kids, though he couldn't for the life of him come up with any faces for them nor could remember how many. But the dream wouldn't last. It was always consumed by fire, and each time he was more desperate than the last.

"Okay…what about outside of practice?"

Mark snapped out of his daze. "Hm?"

"Are you 'hanging out' with friends outside of school activities."

Mark shrugged. "I've been…pretty busy."

"You make any new friends?"

Mark frowned, "No. Why?"

"Just curious," the doctor said as he jotted down something without noticing Mark's suspicious tone. "What about Sarah?"

"What about her?"

"She's Anna's best friend," Ramsey said, "They practically grew up together. Have you made any effort to reach out to her?"

"Yeah…" Mark muttered. "She…uh… _may_ be avoiding me. Not entirely sure if that's true though." He swallowed, a little shamed. "I kind of gave up looking to run into her."

"It might help you both to keep trying," Ramsey suggested, "You both have relationships with Anna that differ from her family. For one, you choose each other. In some ways that make the relationships stronger."

Mark sank into the chair a bit. "I'll try."

* * *

Sarah didn't live too far from downtown, so she merely walked home from the doctor's. She pulled her coat tighter as the wind blew against her path as she turned down a street. She spat out her hair distractedly.

Suddenly she froze and looked up. She thought she heard a voice. But there was nowhere.

" _Turn around! Go another way!"_

Sarah stiffened and spun around in fear. She couldn't hear the specific words, but the voice sounded like a warning.

After a moment she made a mental note to ask Ramsey about anti-psychotics next week if she kept hearing voices. She didn't want to be on drugs, but hearing voices was a huge issue. There go her hopes of ever owning a gun.

She turned back around with a glare and immediately ran into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" they both shouted with a few variations of language.

Sarah frowned as she got a good look at the individual. She shifted awkwardly as the boy brushed his jacket off.

"Rick, right?"

"Who wants to…" the older male spat before he recognized who he was talking to. "Oh. Sarah, right? You know Anna."

Sarah frowned at the guy, his choice of tenses itching the back of her mind, and wrapped her coat tighter. "You knew Anna?"

"Well, I had the locker next to her for two years so yeah," the boy snorted as he pulled something out of his pocket.

Sarah glared at him as he lit the cigarette. "Those will kill you ya know."

"Eh. I'm dead inside already," Rick joked dryly. "I know a guy. I can hook you up?"

"No thanks," Sarah said tersely.

"Suit yourself," Rick shrugged, "See you both around!"

Sarah started walking before she realized the oddity of what Rick said. "Both?"

Suddenly the air was still.

The loss of pressure against her body made her stumble slightly, the unconscious habit of leaning somewhat against a strong wind betrayed her.

The Wind _hated_ this. He _hated_ knowing what he did but being _forced_ to take a neutral ground.

It watched, frustrated as that _Rick_ boy watched from across the street of the building Anna's younger brother and old lover entered, waiting for them to leave.

It was such a long shot, he knew, but it tried its damnedest to make them leave. That other human did _not_ need to know where they were all the time. Rick hung around that building far too often for it to be safe.

The Wind wasn't sure if he needed Anna's humans to stay away from Rick, or from the building Rick hung around even without Anna's loved ones there.

He wasn't sure whether "Rick" was actually aware of his presence or if he was just messing with that other girl. But he wasn't willing to risk it.

The Wind twisted in frustration to the towns small graveyard, knowing there wasn't much he could do at the moment. As luck would have it, the creature he was looking for was there.

No one ever told him anything.

" _CHAKIS!"_

The Reaper didn't react at first. She continued to survey some of her sibling's work, headstones upon headstones stretching across the grassy little groves in a gently wooded area. She appeared visible to the human eye wearing a grey wool coat that reached to her pale ankles, hands tucked away.

" _CHAKIS! That is your name is it not?!"_

The Lady didn't move her eyes from her searching gaze at the field of solemn marble and granite. "You're an aspect of nature. Why do you care?" her voice was soft. "Does the Earth care for the death it consumes? Does the Ocean caress it's dead?"

" _She most certainly does!"_ the Wind whistled, _"She mourns the souls my storms send to her depths and blesses the brave whom sails I filled."_

Chakis smiled through a flash of regret that struck behind the grey eyes. "The Earth and Ocean bring life. They also bring death, and they are content in that balance. Why are you not?"

" _Because I can choose to care,"_ the Wind explained. " _Ocean picks her favorites. As does Earth. Even the Stars shine brighter on certain souls."_

"Yet you choose the damned to favor," Chakis said knowingly, "The broken. The imperfect. You choose to be associated with death, mischief, and the dark, cold storms of horror stories, a not-so-silent witness—an accomplice even—to death and destruction." She looked up and for a brief moment the Wind could imagine what it was like to have someone look you in the eye. "Yet at the same time, you care. You bring relief and reprieve." She looked back down and smiled gently, "You fill the sails."

The wind was silent for a long moment, though it twisted around the graveyard in thought.

" _Are we still speaking of me, Reaper?"_

Chakis just stared in her far-off way, the fake act of familiarity between the two ancient consciousnesses tense. "Do you know who the demons are?"

" _Only when they reveal themselves. I can't sense them. Is that Rick human one?"_

Chakis huffed a surprisingly soft noise. "I can't tell you. Surely you understand."

She continued even as she felt the Wind bristle, "I am caught in neutrality too, wind. I am death. Death does not discriminate. I take the old, the young, the bright, the faded. I snuff out all the lights put in my path. And yet…" She paused and frowned, though the expression was just a slight dip of her lips. "I couldn't help getting attached. To the girl."

The wind stilled for a second.

"Her's was _not_ the first soul tainted by the deal of a demon, whom I've had to collect. I Reaped those souls without blinking an eye. But _they_ chose their fate. I bear no sympathy for humans who value their life more than their soul. Nothing could disgust me more, throwing away eternity in light for eternity in suffering. I would have to take the baby so long ago without a second thought. It would have been…sad…perhaps…I believe that to be appropriate. But at least the child could wait up for her parents. Anna does not have that to look forward to. I never concerned myself with what was fair or not, but this was too far."

" _How can anyone be able to trade another person's soul? A soul belongs to that person and that person alone. I've asked this for centuries. I've witness many similar deals, but none with the soul of a third party with no say in their own fate."_

"Ah. There's something a millions-year-old entity such as yourself doesn't know," Chakis said, amusement leaking through her emotionless voice. "How strange. Jack Smith…or is it Skellington now…didn't trade Anna's soul."

"… _What..."_ The Wind genuinely sounded shocked. He thought he knew that detail for ages.

"It seems to me everyone has this misconception. He traded her life. Lives of others are easy to trade. Humans do it all the time, though they shouldn't. All her remaining years for the other child. Until those years are used up in this world, she's stuck between Heaven and Hell, just as Jack was. Until that time, she is unguarded. A free soul floating around for a demon to grab. And a certain one has his claim etched deep into her soul. I explained this a long time ago."

" _I may be an 'entity,' but I do not have a perfect memory,"_ the Wind sounded almost sour.

"Hmm. I will explain this at greater length to Anna personally," Chakis assured, as she arose. "But for now, I believe it's time she learns the truth. She makes it far too easy to guide her mind to the past, losing herself to unconsciousness so often."

" _She's in Thanksgiving,"_ the Wind grumbled. _"Knocked out. The fool."_

"I know. Perhaps your friends will need your assistance. They will find her missing very soon."

" _That's why I come for_ your _assistance. Demons blocked my voice! I haven't been able to go home except to watch! Each time I try to speak, they hold me back. They shouldn't have power in Halloween!"_

Chakis frowned, the first inkling of concern the Wind had ever seen on a Reaper's face. "I can't help with your voice. But we both know they can't completely limit you. I must go. Begone."

And with that the wind was gone, it's voice pushed far away from the angel of death. If the wind could scream in exasperation, he did.

* * *

 **Greetings. Yes I know, lots of confusion. Everything gets cleared up eventually. If you couldn't figure out, the Wind is a very concerned player, though he hasn't shown up much. His fight is more of a silent one. Chakis too. This chapter is stuck in such an odd place to remind you all that Anna, Jack, and the other Citizens aren't the only ones in trouble.**

 **I would really suggest heading over to read Tricked Out relatively soon.**


	35. Chapter 35: To All But Say

**Greeting darlings! Sorry about the long hiatus! My first year of college was a lot of work.**

 **Happy Summer!**

* * *

Chapter 35

To All But Say

They wasted precious time, Jack knew. But he also knew that he needed Anna to fight him as little as possible. And that meant speaking with her when he'd rather wait until she was safely within the borders of Halloween.

He reformed from his Fade and tried to smooth the puckered, burnt areas of his shirt where Anna had gripped him. There was a distinct smell of burnt hair in the air from the spider silk.

Helgamine saw the look on his face. "…We aren't getting answers yet, are we?"

"Not until everyone is safe," Jack said sternly.

"Jack…"

Jack straightened, and Zeldabourne's protest died in her mouth under his terrifying stare. This wasn't just him trying to avoid their questions.

Whatever was going on between him and Anna had to do with the demons, but if Jack _knew_ an explanation was too complicated and lengthy, then they had no choice but to trust him.

The faint sound of a pebble hitting the ground caught the adult's attention, and they looked up to see Anna hanging from halfway up the church's exterior, feet planted against the wall and one hand gripping a ledge. She wore a confused face, perhaps wondering if it was safe to join them. Were they were talking about her? She startled at being caught.

Anna didn't have to hear Helgamine's voice to _see_ the witch say, _Annalise, get down from there this instant._

She let go on instinct and her human mind immediately panicked as the world spun and the ground came up to reach her shatter-able bones. _Why would she do that?!_

Jack couldn't help chuckling at the short shriek as Anna fumbled and tried to grasp the ledge again. But the teenager was too late.

She dropped to the ground silently, gasping in terror as she expected her bones to shatter from the landing. She wasn't expecting the quiet dry clap resembling a dead stick hitting concrete. She stuck the landing like a cat, mostly, but her arms flew out, overcompensating for balance. She slipped on the edge of a step and stumbled down, hitting the ground and comically rolling to the feet of the group of highly amused monsters.

"Again!" Barrel cackled, clapping his hands.

"Nice landing," Shock said with a grin.

"Eh. 6 out of 10," Lock added flippantly with a laugh.

Anna sighed and muttered, well acquainted with humiliation at this point. She stood up with a small jump and dusted herself off. She swiped her jacket off the ground where she left it and began threading her sticklike arms through the sleeves. Perhaps if she had ears they would be burning red, but as it was, there were too many things to worry about beside the faint purple tint on the bottom edge of her eye-sockets. She still felt like crying and every glance at Jack made her grit her teeth, but she could stifle the tears if no one forced her to speak.

The witches watched her and Anna looked away from their gaze.

Did they know? Did they figure it out? Why hadn't they said anything yet? Whatever conclusion they came up with sent both of the women warily looking between Jack and Anna as the former cast one more gaze toward the church.

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about?" Little Braid asked minutes before.

"It does no good to speculate, Little Braid," Sarah Josepha Hale said sternly. She and Sweet Water were struggling to fill the jars all the way. The shallow bowl of Holy Water made it difficult.

Sweet Water didn't add anything, but Little Braid knew her dad didn't have to.

Braid rolled her eyes and sighed. She wasn't any use with the water at the moment, so she amused herself with exploring the large church, at least the main chapel.

She liked the stained glass. If it was daytime, she might imagine the colors of sunlight shining through. She wasn't entirely sure, but she suspected colors looked different in the Real World than back home. She had never seen a Real morning…

Maybe one day. Did humans see colors differently?

She stopped and looked down at the back of the pew she had just passed. The wooden bench had a pocket of sorts holding a bible, a hymnal, some pamphlet things, and most interesting…

Little Braid found dozens of the funny little pencils stored behind nearly every pew she reached, and at least one from each row ended up in her satchel.

"Goodness," Hale sighed, rolling her black sleeves down to her wet hands. "You think they're done talking out there?"

"Probably not," Sweet Water droned.

Hale sighed at him.

"I'll check, ma'am," Little Braid said, leaping over benches recklessly to get to the door.

"Braid! We're in a church!"

Little Braid didn't hear as she peeked out, "Jack and Anna are gone…"

"Of course, they are," Hale sniffed then sighed heavily, "Alright, hand me the next one."

Sweet Water handed her the jar and began to carefully tip the bowl for her.

"Careful Jacob!"

The man nodded quickly, mumbling an apology, unfazed by the use of his English name. He supposed "Sweet Water" was one syllable too many for Hale's panicked exclamation.

"I hope never to have to recount this to my husband when I finally see him," Hale said in half-amusement. "He'll have all of eternity to remind me how I broke into a church to steal water for a bunch of terrifying monsters. I'll never live this down."

Little Braid couldn't help snorting slightly as she closed the door. She sometimes forgot that so many of her friends and family were technically dead and waiting to move on to Heaven. It wasn't a subject easily brought up, but she supposed the Halloween Citizens made the atmosphere a little more conducive to talking about things of that nature. "I'm going to explore a bit."

Sweet Water nodded.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Hale reminded, "Or else I'm telling your mother, Braid."

"Her father is right here,Goody Hale," Sweet Water pointed out.

"You spoil your daughter, good sir," Sarah answered knowingly. "But you have my apologies. I shouldn't interfere with your parenting."

Sweet Water's mouth twitched, and he called to the teenager who was in the process of leaving through a nearby doorway, "Don't do anything stupid!"

" _Father!"_

Sweet Water chuckled at the distant irritated voice.

Little Braid huffed and went down a corridor. She immediately found what was probably the church leader's office. She considered the red stapler sitting on the desk but thought better of it and only took a few paper clips. Funny little things. She took a couple of ballpoint pens too, mildly hoping they weren't worth much. Quills and ink were fine most of the time, but Little Braid could appreciate the neatness of modern-day thingamabobs.

The office window faced the front of the church. Out of curiosity, Little Braid parted the curtains to check on the group of monsters outside.

She immediately paled and crashed into the doorframe in her hurried exit.

She raced back to the main chapel, turning into a streak of reddish light and shiny gold dust to cut down on time, damn the nausea.

"They're gone!"

"What?"

"They left without us," Little Braid gasped, out of breath.

Hale frowned and screwed the last jar lid tight as she stalked to the sanctuary door, splashing Holy Water on her already wet sleeve.

She handed Braid the jar and pushed open the door. She swore, startling Sweet Water and Little Braid.

The only thing that greeted them was an empty street.

"Damn it, Jack!" Hale growled.

The Thanksgiving Citizens exited the church, Little Braid pushing past her leader and father in haste to run down to the street. Her bag laden with trinkets kept swinging in her way and she offhandedly hoped a strange glass ball she had recently added to her "collection" didn't break. She figured the liquid sloshing inside would make a mess in her bag.

She turned every which way, hoping for a glimpse of retreating shadows. A dot of black caught her eye and she picked up a black ebony button, probably from Anna's jacket. It had a faint etching of a stylized pumpkin with a strange expression embossed in the surface.

Anna was very upset earlier. It wasn't her business, Braid knew, but she didn't want to abandon her new acquaintance. Little Braid didn't take Anna for one who would run off without an explanation for the demons at the very least.

"Goddamnit, Jack," Hale said again as she joined Little Braid down at the street. "That _bastard!"_

"Ma'am?" Little Braid questioned, not used to the swearing. Her father quietly huffed.

"If he thinks he can just drag _my Holiday_ and my people through this mess and put _us_ in danger with no explanation and just _run_ _off…."_ Hale sneered at the darkened streets, "I swear I will _murder_ that self-absorbed boney arse myself."

"Sarah," Sweet Water murmured.

Sarah Josepha Hale blinked and turned to the other two in shock, "I'm so sorry Braid."

"I'm…I'm _eighty-five_ ma'am…" Little Braid said stiffly, more surprised at just how angry her Governor was than the course words. Did they really think she didn't know what swearing was?

Hale continued as if she hadn't heard. "I'm going to kill him."

"Madame Hale… why would they leave without telling us?" Sweet Water interjected.

"To protect us," Hale grumbled, still seething, "For all his flaws, that _bonehead_ does care about others. Even other Holidays. He doesn't want us to be harmed by demons who wouldn't care we're from a different Town." She narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't excuse him offering me _no_ explanation for the trouble I'm subjecting our Holiday to."

"But the demons are _still here,_ " Sweet Water reasoned, "Will demons really leave us alone if we stay away from Jack and his people?"

"Can we stop being selfish for two seconds?!" Little Braid snapped. "They're the ones in trouble. Shouldn't we help?! We can't just-"

"Braid," Sweet Water scolded.

Little Braid almost bit her tongue with how fast she closed her mouth. Actually, she tasted blood.

Hale stared at her sternly.

"Sorry, Governor," Braid winced. "It's just…"

"I know you care about…" Hale paused.

When the other Holidays had first made their existence known to them, Hale remembered it was Little Braid who stood up at their next town meeting after their guests had left and declared amidst the fearful mumblings that _she_ was going to make a friend from each Holiday.

" _Even…Halloween?"_ someone had asked, mildly amused at the naïve declaration.

Hale hadn't appreciated the distaste she heard in that Citizen's voice, but she understood where they were coming from.

" _I mean…"_ that Citizen had continued, _"I understand the others, they're all different aspect of humanity just as we are. But how can Fear…be good things. You heard what happened! That skeleton himself admitted to…"_

" _We just don't understand each other!"_ Little Braid had declared emphatically _. "Frankly, I'm shocked you elders could think to reject someone because they are different. What else were we founded on?!"_

" _Gratefulness in the face of hardship."_

" _Yes, I know but…"_

" _Little Braid, you know well and good that we don't just represent Thanksgiving,"_ another had shot back. _"There are many tribal nations who wish we didn't exist. Heartache followed us in History, and it's our duty to represent Remembrance as much as Thanksgiving."_

" _Do we judge every human for the evilness of many?!"_ the teen snapped, _"Caution is good, but fearing and hating someone else just because they looked different is what seeped our country's soil with blood in the first place!"_

Hale and Squanto had to shut down the conversation soon after, but Little Braid's determination to seek out friendships had stuck with them.

Hale looked back at Little Braid.

"I'm sure Anna will be fine."

Little Braid stared at the ground.

Hale shared a worried glance with the girl's father.

The man nodded and turned his daughter toward him. "Darling, look at me. The best we can do for now is stay out of their way and not put them in a position to save us from…demons…" The word was almost foreign to him. Demons weren't something they concerned with. "We will check to see if they are all safe when our Holiday is over."

"It may be too late then."

Sweet Water didn't have a response as Little Braid shrugged off his hand and silently pulled out a red leaf, reading the name on it as she walked away to do her job.

Hale took Sweet Water's shoulder. "She has a good head. Trust she'll listen."

Little Braid let their voices fade as she shuffled through the Thanks in her care, grateful she had the wherewithal to take them from Anna like a proper Citizen.

 _Jillian Grisholme._

 _James Grisholme._

* * *

Anna stumbled out of her shadow as Helgamine let go of her. She groaned, head swimming. This explained why she didn't see monsters use the Fading often. There must be a limit of some kind. She felt like she needed to throw up. She was so sick, she wasn't even mad that Jack had ordered them to leave without waiting for the Thanksgiving Citizens. She hadn't any time to protest as Helgamine grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

Why had they stopped? They should have kept going all the way to the portal.

The others looked on knowingly as Anna gagged. Nothing came up thankfully. She wasn't sure if anything could. Anna could hear the children groan as she dry-heaved, bent over and supported against a dead tree. It wasn't precisely sympathy, but it was probably the closest she would ever get with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. For a brief second of ridiculousness, she considered if getting eaten by demons (or something) was worth it if it meant her bones would stop feeling like they were floating in the ocean as separate pieces. Up and down.

Lock hurked a little as he watched, knowing exactly why the adults had stopped, even with the risk. He felt ill too, but at least he was more experienced with Fading than Anna was, which wasn't by much.

"We forgot the water," Zeldabourne broke the awkward silence. "Or are we leaving it with the Turkey Freaks on purpose?"

"You got to stop calling them that," Anna mumbled then retched again.

Jack cast them all a strange look, eyebrows raised, ignoring Anna for the moment. There wasn't anything to do but wait for the nausea to pass. "Why were you collecting Holy Water in the first place?"

Anna frowned and spit into the grass, shocked that anything even resembling saliva came out, "Because it burns demons?" She resisted the urge to cringe when her voice came out slightly more hissy than she meant.

"And you too, bonehead," said Lock.

"Ah I see. I had assumed you had a plan for it. I applaud your wit, but you'd more likely hurt yourself than use it safely, dear," Helgamine added as Jack leaned against a wooden fence, a stony countenanced set in his jaw.

"It was Jaspers idea," Anna pointed out as she stood, glancing at the cat. She didn't like the connotation that came with learning Holy Water could hurt her. It made her feel…Unholy. Unclean.

Evil.

Everyone looked at the ghost cat questioningly as he floated next to his current favorite lady of the household. No surprise that individual was Anna, as one witch had broken his neck and the other was presently toting his decaying corpse in a bag knocking around with various witchcraft items.

"I swear my reasoning is sound."

Anna couldn't help being annoyed with Jasper as he spoke to the group. He made it sound like hearing his voice was oh-so-special before. On the other hand, Jack looked slightly surprised that Jasper was talking to anyone other than the witches, so it likely wasn't a common occurrence.

Jasper soaked in the attention for a moment. "I made an educated guess that she could use it without tainting it or burning herself."

"His voice is so pretty," Barrel whispered.

The children snickered while Jasper's ear flicked in annoyance.

"Why in Halloween would she be any different than us?" Trouble spoke up.

Yes. Anna figured he could speak too. Maybe she was imagining it, but Zero seemed almost jealous of that little fact as the cats conversed.

Trouble sounded much younger than she imagined.

"Well for one she has opposable thumbs."

Trouble's ears went back, and he glared at his fellow familiar with a hissy spit as the other cat squinted his blue eyes in amusement.

" _Jasper_. You know what Trouble meant," Helgamine snapped, impatiently.

Jasper twisted around Anna like a curl of smoke as Jack glanced up the road silently.

The Pumpkin King could figure where this conversation was going and _hated it_. But he couldn't afford to waste time or creativity steering the subject off course. More accurately, he couldn't afford to distract himself from paying attention to faint ripples of the spirit realm. It was the only reason he didn't have them moving again now that Anna had an eased constitution.

It was like standing in a pond and trying to figure out where a crocodile was approaching from by the movement of the water. It was harder in the living world. His soul wasn't as in tune with Earth as it was Halloween but they needed a much earlier warning system than a dull, imprecise "itch."

"Anna, dear," Jasper purred, "Where's your Mark of Citizenship if you don't mind me asking?"

"My _what?_ "

That was the wrong answer.

Anna could _feel_ the air chill in response.

It was silent for far longer than Anna felt comfortable. Not even the Trick or Treaters said anything, though they shared dumbstruck, wide-eyed looks amongst themselves.

Eventually, it was Jack who broke the silence.

"I haven't had her sign the book yet," he said, far calmer than he felt as he braced for the explosion.

Helgamine gaped at Jack in horror. She abruptly shut her mouth and turned to Anna with a vacant expression and a strange squeak in her voice uncharacteristic of her.

Zeldabourne glared at nothing as she tried to comprehend what she just heard.

"Excuse me. Jack, did you just say Anna hasn't signed the book?" Helgamine said.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel snickered rudely, only further confusing Anna.

"Well boys, looks like Jack screwed up!" Shock said, smirking at Jack with a glint in her eyes. Her expression fell as he sent her a tired unimpressed look. Usually he'd joke back _just a little_ or call out her disrespect in an unbearably paternal way. Nothing?

"Cool," Lock said, just under his breath. Lucky for him, Jack didn't hear. Or he pretended not to.

"She's not even a Citizen, Jack? _No wonder_ Halloween has been throwing a fit. Pumpkins are rotting. Even the Lake's been acting strange!" Zeldabourne snapped.

"Not to mention Nightmares are agitated," Helgamine grumbled, "Haddaelia won't even let anyone…"

"What book? What Mark? What are you talking about?!"

The Trick or Treaters yelped and jumped away from the flames that lashed outwards at Anna's outburst.

She hadn't noticed her emotional meter cap again. She thought she was fine. She gasped and clenched her hands close to her in fear of burning someone.

Helgamine watched warily as the violet flames abated just as quickly as they appeared until they were little wisps twisting around Anna's arms, barely visible.

"Anna…" Helgamine said, annoyed at the situation now that the alarm had ebbed away, "There's a book everyone's supposed to sign if they want to stay in town as official Citizens. Those who don't, run away to stalk the Hinterlands. Alone. Outlanders. They don't have the community of the town or the protection of the gates or permission to pass through the Veil through Gateways or Ghoul Gates."

Anna turned Helgamine's explanation around in her head slowly. "I'm…I'm not a Citizen?" she repeated. She was surprised how calm she was about the new information, then again, it seemed minor in comparison to learning her ancestor of near-two-thousand years sold her soul to the devil.

"We thought you knew of this and accepted citizenship long ago," Zelda said to Anna, "You never brought it up, so we didn't."

"But you never noticed she didn't have a Mark of Citizenship?" Jasper preened. The cat noticed the searching look Anna sent his way and lifted his paw slightly to show a strange scar on the pad of one paw.

That's it?

"You did, and yet _never mentioned it?"_ Trouble retorted, annoyed at Jasper. The other cat didn't care if the witches lost their patience any further. He was already a ghost. But _Trouble_ was still in the line of fire between his fellow familiar and their witches. He was not keen on being turned into a hat anytime soon.

"Just shut up," Anna stammered, ruder than she meant as she felt weak in her legs and abruptly sat on the sidewalk with her hands over the sides of her head. "I can't think." She repeated herself as the flames still licking around her hands got provoked. This was the third time. She couldn't just keep losing control of her emotions like this. It was childish. She was better than this.

She sensed someone crouch next to her, unafraid of the faint purple haze around her arms.

"Anna…"

"Don't touch me!" Anna snarled at Jack. She didn't intend to hit him but swiped an arm through the air on impulse.

Zero whined as Jack calmly caught Anna's boney arm and brought it down, holding both her wrists as Anna bared her teeth at him. Despite that, the fire disappeared.

The witches shared a glance.

"Jack…?"

"Helgamine, _please_. Annalise, we must keep going. We went over this on the roof. Now isn't the time to lose yourself in everything I've kept from you. At the _very_ least, please see that I do care about your safety."

Anna sneered at him. "Guilt."

Jack's expression fell. But he sighed, voice rattling, and held out a hand.

Anna glared at him but took it and let him help her up off the concrete sidewalk. Oddly, he didn't let go and started walking, guiding her as the others took the cue and followed.

Anna felt like a child being led by an overwhelmed parent. She frowned and tugged slightly. "Let go. I'm not a child."

"Not while I can't trust you to stay by my side," Jack said stiffly, pointedly ignoring the children snickering at Anna.

Anna looked over her shoulder and squinted at the Trick or Treaters warningly.

"Jack, please talk and walk," Helgamine requested, walking faster to keep alongside the skeletons' long strides, Zeldabourne following her lead, absently swiping her broom at the overgrown plants that escaped from the fences humans liked to put around their properties.

Jack shook his head, more at himself than the witch. "It's…far too long an explanation." He answered honestly.

"Does it have something to do with your story?"

Jack froze at Shock's interjection, Anna running into his back at the abrupt stop. "What?"

"Your story," Shock said, picking at a string on her dress as she tried to hold her eye contact with the Pumpkin King. "…With the demons?"

"I know what your referring to," Jack said, a little disconcerted. "I want to know why you think this has anything to do…"

Whatever semblance of innocent naivety Shock was clinging to broke at Jack's words. Shock flashed a viciously annoyed look, patience run out. She spat at the witches. "Why don't you say anything?!"

The witches looked at the young witchling but didn't answer.

"Shock?" Jack asked.

The girl groaned in frustration. "Everyone knows you still have something going on with demons! Everyone knows but they never say anything!"

"Shock, you shouldn't…" Helgamine warned, lowering her voice.

"COWARDS!" Shock screeched at her, startling Anna.

Lock snorted. He had an idea about what Shock was so mad about, but he was more than happy to let her handle the grown-ups. This was more entertaining anyway.

Shock paid attention to the whisperings behind the glares of elder monsters in town who thought the Trick or Treaters couldn't hear. Everyone knew the story Jack told them wasn't the end of it. Demons. Turnips. Heaven. Hell. Wandering the Real World? You don't make a fool of demons like that and suddenly be done with them easily. Did he really think Citizens didn't pay attention? Did he _really_ think they couldn't hear the whispers of evils screeching across the veil, mocking Jack with every attack on their town, yet unable to really touch their world?

Those whispers never gave away much, reveling in doubt they sowed in Citizens' minds. Most Citizens who _could_ hear them from the other side ignored the voices, well aware of their lies and the danger they posed to Halloween. To their family and friends. But did anyone ever bother asking the Trick or Treaters what they noticed? The whispers? The mumbles? The echoed screeching of demons just barely heard in the faintest edges of the Hinterlands, commonly mistaken for the Wind's voice?

The witches stiffened.

Anna watched warily as the witches looked at each other, words of some kind silently exchanged between them.

But they didn't press.

Shock muttered something, her little face twisting in angry disappointment.

"But…"

"Shock, the first priority is getting everyone home safely. Curb the questions until then," Jack ordered, spine ram-rod straight.

Anna frowned at the other skeleton. All this avoidance was getting annoying. She wasn't keen on the attention that would come from the knowledge Jack and her stories connected but she would rather the other monsters know enough to sate them for now.

"Jack, we need to at least tell them why demons are after me."

Jack glanced at her. "Anna, demons have an interest in all Halloween monsters. Getting your soul is a personal vendetta of…one, but they're more than willing to take any of us."

"And what would they do?" Anna asked cautiously.

"Despite being spirits, we are physical creatures. Physical creatures can be possessed. Demons are powerful enough with human or animal shells. Imagine if one had your mimicry, ropes or the witches magic. However, for the most part they just want to destroy us and gain control of our realm."

Anna would have paled if she could. She tried her best to crush the worry and fear that spiked up at the implications. Offhandedly, she wondered if Jack's lack of acknowledgment of her fire powers was unintentional. Personally, if she was a demon she'd be more interested in stealing a monster's weird purple fire rather than a silly ability to manipulate ropes and act like a well-trained parrot.

"It sounds almost like a real-estate war," she muttered.

"Perhaps in simplistic terms, it is," Jack agreed. "I can't pretend to know all their reasonings. Perhaps there isn't any. It's all a guess really."

"How come you're giving _her_ answers?" Lock said, properly speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Because it's something every Citizen needs to know."

"But she's _not_ a Citizen," Lock countered with a smirk and half-lidded satisfaction.

"Then every monster in Halloween," Jack said smoothly, waving one hand in a circular motion.

"Okaaay but if demons are targeting lady bone-butt, shouldn't we know why? Ya know, so we aren't caught off guard while we beat their a-?"

" _Language_ , Lock."

"Lady bone-butt?" Anna laughed, weaker than she wanted.

Shock nudged Lock and turned to Anna. "Did you make some deal with them?" she said, still salty about Jack keeping secrets and the older witches refusal to confront him.

"A deal?" Anna questioned, twisting to look at the witchling while Jack still gripped her hand as they walked. "Shock, I knew _about_ demons, but I didn't know demons or monsters or Reapers or whatever else actually existed before I came to Halloween." She was quiet for a moment.

"But yes, there was a deal." She felt Jack's hand tighten slightly, but he didn't try to stop her. "I didn't make it though. An ancestor of mine made a deal with demons a long time ago to save his…ah..daughter-in-law and her baby's life."

"So…kind of like a 'sell your firstborn' sort of thing," Lock said, more intrigued than surprised.

Anna was surprised that they _weren't_ surprised. None of them seemed taken aback in the slightest.

Jack didn't react outwardly at all, though he did find it curious Anna didn't out him immediately.

"I guess, but it was a lot more convoluted than that. Death was there, or um… _a_ death."

"Grim Reaper?" Helgamine asked, glancing up in interest.

"A Reaper," Anna nodded. "I think…and I'm not sure…but I think they added a bunch of criteria for the soul that got traded. Like, well…they had to die on Halloween. And they had to be born on Halloween too…"

"Wait!"

Anna yelped as Shock grabbed her jacket and yanked their little group to a stop. "Geez, what?!" Anna exclaimed as she almost fell on the girl.

"Your birthday _and_ your deathday is _on_ _Halloween?!"_

Anna nodded almost frantically, still taken aback by the assault.

"Lucky," Lock groaned. "That's actually pretty awesome."

"But the Requiem bell rang for you November First," Shock accused. "I remember it was in the morning."

"Still died a couple hours before. Still on Halloween. I don't know where the missing hours went," Anna replied, shaking her head.

Shock regarded Anna for a second, blowing stringy hair out of her face, "You're really lame and a scaredy-cat…"

"Excuse you…" Jasper and Trouble interjected.

"…But that's at least _something_ not entirely stupid about you. Everything else about you is still stupid," Shock nodded with a tone of finality.

Helgamine chuckled at the backhanded compliment while Zeldabourne jutted out her chin and gestured for Anna to continue as Jack ushered them to move again.

Anna tried to smirk at Shock but could only barely manage. "There were other things too. For example, that soul…um…me…The-soul-that-was-me had to die the same way my ancestor who made the deal did."

Helgamine spoke this time. She didn't look confused, but she asked the question anyway, as if she already knew the answer. "Clarify. Did they make that deal after they had already died?"

Jack shot Helgamine a concerned look, but she simply looked at Anna expectantly.

Anna nodded nervously, craning her neck to keep eye contact as Jack guided her along. "Yeeesss? um…I-I'm not sure if there were other criteria…"

"The curse could only affect the descendants who met all the other conditions after they reached the age of womanhood or manhood. Young children were spared," Jack said stiffly.

"…Until puberty?" Anna stared at Jack in discomfort. "I _don't_ remember _that_ part."

Jack glanced at her awkwardly. "It was a... later discussion, relatively speaking."

"At this point, the difference between twelve and sixteen years old isn't something I'm wholly grateful for," Anna snipped.

Zeldabourne cut in. "Anna, how do you know all this? You didn't go to the Field of Nightmares did you? Did you…no you couldn't have a writer…this is your home town isn't it? You were definitely from the Real World?" She seemed…disappointed? Hopeful for a second as if she had found an explanation she liked better.

Helgamine patted Zelda's shoulder with a sigh through her large nose.

Anna shifted as she and Jack stopped walking. She looked at their faces and winced. She wondered how much it would take short of outright telling them for them to realize. First of all, she didn't know what on earth Zelda was talking about. She had no choice but to ignore the witch's rambling questions, except the first one.

"That Reaper's been showing me visions of what happened. At least I'm pretty sure that's what's happening. It's like the whole story plays out with me there to watch." She was hesitant to mention the part where she interacted with reality like she was really there in the past. "I um…I only learned about the deal itself and the demons tonight."

There was a long silence and Jack and Anna both tensed, Jack being _far_ better at hiding it than the teenager.

"Jack, how do _you_ know about it?" Helga asked, unable to entirely wipe that shrewd tone from her creaky voice.

Jack and Anna glanced at each other.

"I was forewarned about Annalise's arrival," Jack said. It was the truth technically. "And that Reaper Anna mentioned before made it a point to…harass me."

Annalise glared at him.

"Hmm," Helgamine hummed.

Anna winced, wondering if the others had forgotten when she yelled at Jack in front of the church, " _Why did you choose Mira and the baby over me?"_

Surely, they could connect the dots?

Whatever the case, whether they forgot that instance amidst the stress or they were purposely keeping silent, the only response she heard was Shock's curious/suspicious hum, subconsciously echoing Helgamine.

"Huh," Lock said, "Does the Pumpkin King always know when a Newcomer is coming? Heh. Why do we even have the Requiem Bell?" He laughed.

Jack shook his head, minutely, "The demons made this a special case."

"Oh rats, Miss Anna's all _speciiiaal,"_ Lock mocked.

Anna rolled her eyes at him.

"Reapers," Zeldabourne grunted with distaste. "Never met one, hope I never do."

"Don't you think you already have?" Anna questioned hesitantly, worried she was wrong about Reapers ferrying souls to the afterlife. How was she to know how that worked? Maybe Reapers just took life and the soul went wherever it did on its own. Either way, everyone in their party has met a Death, right?

Zelda blinked and scowled. After a moment she grinned slightly, one side of her lips upturned, "Knowing me, I probably annoyed it and it dropped me in Halloween out of spite."

Helgamine rolled her eyes. "Punishment for you, or the rest of us?" she snorted.

Zeldabourne grinned and narrowed her eyes at the other witch almost playfully. "Or perhaps I was going to Hell and someone upstairs made a filing mistake."

Anna couldn't help but smile slightly at the mental image of God and a bunch of angels with awkwardly giant flaming swords sitting around a table doing paperwork.

"I bet I attacked it!" Barrel added proudly.

"Nuh uh," Lock rejected, "You probably cried like a little baby."

Shock frowned and remained silent.

Anna pursed her lips trying not to laugh. She felt better having told her story, even if she all but directly outed her and Jack's relation.

"Oof!" she stumbled into Jack as he stopped again.

He didn't seem to mind as he reached a long arm to the padlock that held a tall rusty gate shut with a thick chain. With an unsettling lack of effort, he yanked the lock off, the heavy piece of metal hitting the ground with a solid thud followed by the almost musical rattle of the chain. Jack pushed the gates open further with a rusty shriek of old hinges and ushered the others inside.

Anna craned her neck to read the sign in the dim light, sockets popping wide at the familiar destination. She should have been paying more attention to where they were going.

"The cemetery? Not to diss the choice of scenery, but I thought we were going to the portal."

Jack chuckled. "There's a ghoul gate to Halloween here."

Helgamine and Zeldabourne grumbled.

"Anna can't come through if she's not a Citizen, _Jack_ ," Zeldabourne pointed out as she weaved around a tombstone to walk next to Jack.

"I know," Jack said.

"I read about ghoul gates," Anna said, grateful for the distraction from a painful subject, "They're portals right? There's always one in every graveyard. Marked by a damaged, overgrown grave?"

"Sometimes. They're just like normal Gateways…," Helgamine said.

"I don't know what a 'normal' Gateway is," interrupted Anna meaningfully.

"Little rips in space and time that we can used to pass through the veil between our world and the living world when it isn't Halloween night. They can be rather erratic, but ghoul gates are special. They are much more stable."

"But if Anna can't go through, why are we…" Lock said before it clicked. "Oh, come on!"

Shock frowned and dug her broom into the dirt as she came to the same realization.

"There's no way I'm letting you face demons," Jack said to the kids, turning his neck to make sure they wouldn't run off when he wasn't looking, "The rest of you go home while Anna and I continue on to the portal and pick up the Gatekeeper and Sally."

The children immediately protested but they shut up quickly at Jack's glare.

"You brought _Sally?!"_ Anna hissed angrily, but Jack only spared her a warning look as they stopped in front of a slightly decrepit above ground crypt.

"But we can help!" Shock argued.

"Yeah," Lock added. "We've beaten demons before. Unlike Princess here."

Anna stiffened in fear at the nickname as Jack's eyes widened slightly. Her hand twitched. She should have keep the plastic yellow rope from earlier.

 _Crap._

"Uh huh," Barrel said enthusiastically. He had been mostly quiet, more content to watch the older monsters go back and forth. Also, being in the graveyard was making the young ghoul kind of hungry.

"If you're referring to the incidents I'm thinking of, I wouldn't call escaping with your second lives intact 'beating' them," Jack said, mildly amused despite the subject. He completely pretended not to hear Lock's nickname for Anna.

"I won't argue about getting these three out of the way, but there's no way you don't need mine and Zelda's help," Helga said humorlessly.

Jack considered it for a moment, turning the logic around in his skull. Eventually he nodded.

"But…

"We'll go home Jack," Shock said stepping on Lock's foot.

"Splendid!" Jack said, pleased they weren't being as ornery as usual. He let go of Anna's hand and pulled open the door to the crypt they had stopped in front of. "Anna, you'll confuse the Gate. I need you to step back."

Anna did, almost feeling like she was getting kicked from the cool kids' table.

She glanced down as someone tapped her free hand.

Barrel stared at her wide-eyed as he offered a lollipop.

"Thank you," she said a touch confused at the gesture.

"You're not supposed to eat it," Barrel said seriously, lifting his mask to stare at her. "You have to give it back when you're back home." He shuffled, glaring at Lock and Shock when they shot him slightly confused but derisive looks.

"Okay."

"Promise?"

Anna stared at him, surprised that the little ghoul cared. "I promise."

Jack grunted and pulled the crypt door open wider.

Anna jumped as an impossible breeze and the smell of rotting pumpkins and burnt sugar wafted at her face. She shifted. Safety was _right_ there, with spiraling ground and claw-like branches just in view. She took an unconscious step forward and gasped as the doorway flickered and warped in protest.

"Anna, get back!" Jack ordered as he jerked his head back to avoid it getting cut off and left in another realm.

Anna cringed as Helgamine roughly took Anna's arm and pulled her several more steps away.

Shock pulled at Barrel shirt, "Come on, Barf face!"

"Zero, go with them please."

Zero whimpered and whined, twirling around Jack questioningly.

Jack grinned and pet the dog placatingly as the younger monsters frowned and shared a glance.

Anna wouldn't put it past them to be planning on sneaking back after the rest of them left. Whether Jack intended it or not, sending Zero with them would complicate such a plan.

Anna watched in curiosity as the three young monsters marched into the crypt, flipping their masks down as they did, Zero following and whining all the way.

He licked Jack's face as he passed.

The skeleton grinned, "Aww. Don't worry, boy. We'll see you soon. _Boys. Shock_."

The kids paused, looking back.

"Keep Anna's story between us for now. Let the Mayor know what's happened, along with the Doctor. _Understand?"_

"Whatever you say, Jack," the three chorused sweetly.

Anna didn't trust them in the slightest.

Jack pushed the creaky heavy door shut, waited a moment and opened it again to check.

Anna came forward as he gestured to her. She peered in. Nothing. Just a standard crypt with a big fancy marble coffin of some unsuspecting human corpse laying silently.

"You _really_ should go too," Jack said to the witches.

They just glared at him.

Jack sighed and took Anna's hand as he Faded. He didn't have time to argue anymore. He never really did.

Anna didn't know where they were going. She just concentrated on not getting sick as the scenery warped and flashed by faster than when she ever Faded by herself. She realized that earlier even the adults weren't going as quickly as they could.

The older Citizens didn't seem concerned about the animals in the least. Jasper kept pace easily as a misty ghost, going so fast one couldn't discern his features. As for Trouble, Anna didn't see where he went.

They left the graveyard quickly, not noticing as they passed a simple tombstone with Anna's name scrawled in the white marble. There were a couple of decaying flowers besides fresher ones covered in frost.

* * *

 **May your summer not kill you! :)**


	36. Chapter 36: Intervention

**What's this? Two chapters in a week? Am I finally getting a grip on my time management and control of my life as a legal adult? Ha. No. I just had an 11k chapter that worked better as two chapters. Read, review, and read the author's note at the bottom. Love you!**

* * *

Chapter 36

Intervention

* * *

Sally found herself quite bored not long after Jack and the others left. The Ragdoll paced for a bit, the dry, icy crunch of dead leaves under her boots the only sound accompanying her thoughts. The silence that seemed to continually surround her inside and out drove her insane at times.

Part of her wondered if having a heartbeat to amuse herself with when it was quiet would've made her a less restless monster. Did having a pulse make silence bearable? She had one person who could perhaps answer that or try to at least.

Sally frowned slightly as memories came and she shook her head.

There was a clink in her pockets as she shifted, and she removed the half-fist sized orbs.

She took one and carefully swirled the volatile multicolored liquid around, small sparks inside the glass catching her eye.

She counted them, starting slightly when she realized one was missing. Oh, she hoped she didn't drop it someplace dangerous. Maybe it's in the Hinterlands? Hopefully, it fell out there during the tussle with that awful demon shadow thing. Better the Hinterlands than Thanksgiving or the Real World. She tried to shake off the worry quickly. She was missing one of her potions. Nothing she could do but hope an unsuspecting individual didn't break the glass and hurt themselves. She tapped the surface of one orb nervously.

"Hm…" she muttered, hoping no one got hurt because she was careless. The missing potion was one that cracked open into concentrated foaming acid. Potentially problematic. She ruined several of the Doctor's gloves when working on it, attempting to get the potency just right.

Sally hummed a faint tune, trembling slightly, and carefully replaced the orbs one at a time. How foolish of her to misplace something like that.

She knew no matter her ridiculous threats that Jack would never have let her come if she wasn't so skilled at potions. He knew she had these deadly little concoctions, though he didn't mention it.

Jack seemed rather good at not mentioning things, a skill she once thought the light-hearted man couldn't even possess. A long as she'd know him, he always seemed to speak his mind mostly unchecked.

She wished she had someone to talk to about these troubling thoughts. Someone besides Jack, though she loved him dearly and would never think she couldn't share her thoughts with him. But Sally needed an outside perspective.

The little familiar thought ghosted through Sally's head and she sighed in nostalgia. There was one person. Not a monster oddly enough.

Halloween had many stories seeped in its soil. Ink and narrative spilled from the veins of many creatures, their own tales poured from the mouths and fingers of frantic, brilliant—and sometimes, insane—storytellers. Tales of terror shaped the imaginations of humanity years after the original wordsmiths were dead and gone themselves. The bizarre and insane was their norm. But to unlucky humans, ink or blood? Often fatal.

Mistakes happen. The Veil wasn't infallible, as nature rarely is. Human eyes have seen Halloween, believe it or not, though the occasions were highly rare and often not well received by either party. Three times it's happened in the memory of the current population of Citizens.

Sally blinked. Had anyone told Anna? She wondered. She hadn't at least. It just…never came up. Some part of her suspected the young monster would be utterly fascinated with the incidents, especially having her own human memories intact.

As for the incidents themselves? The first two…well… The third, and last, human wouldn't be overly averse to saying she was far luckier than her predecessors. Even so, that particular human probably wouldn't admit it unless pressed.

Sally missed her friend. The human hadn't called in a while, and unless Sally was mistaken and dramatically overestimated human life-spans, she was most certainly still alive.

Sally would have preferred to actually see her friend in person rather than the woefully infrequent calls through the cauldron. But that was selfish. Scrying would have to do, if Sally could ever figure out how to time it when the human was in private and near a reflective surface.

What would her friend say about this situation?

Sally smiled as she imagined the conversation, playing it through her head, each of their voices clear as…um…Halloween days aren't particularly clear, but that was the saying in any case. Clear as day. Now if only she could ignore the uncomfortable realities of the subject they were speaking of.

"Frankly, I would expect far more profanity from her than that."

The Ragdoll gasped but should have been proud of how quickly she pulled herself together (figuratively, though if she moved any faster it might have been literally). She didn't have time to congratulate herself for keeping her balance before she found herself poised to throw a glass orb at the stranger.

She tensed as she got a good look at the owner of the voice.

The human woman wearing all gray wool didn't look scared or anything. She merely stared at the monster patiently, blinking in a distinctly human fashion.

"Don't move!" Sally ordered sternly, eyes narrowed. "Or…or I-I'll…kill you…and..." She trailed off, cringing at the awkward threat and thankful none of the others were there. What a terrible bluff. Still, if this human wasn't scared of her, it was probably a good bet they were a demon.

"A wise assumption, if inaccurate," the lady in gray said calmly, though she listened to Sally's demand politely and didn't move, even breathe.

Sally glared, narrowing her large glass-like eyes. "Don't read my mind. Who are you if not a demon?" Remembering what the stranger had said to startle her, she added, "And how do you know Ivy?"

"Both your questions have one answer," the stranger said, soft tone unchanging. "I'm a Reaper. My name is Chakis."

Sally blinked, distressed in how that answer wasn't any use to her. She had an itching feeling that _maybe_ she was supposed to know that name. Chakis? But at the same time, it felt like a name that shouldn't be spoken aloud except by its owner.

"That doesn't answer my second question and I already know the Grim Reaper," Sally retorted, raising her arm a bit.

Chakis squinted slightly at the doll and her eyebrow popped up gently. "I know of Human Ivy because Halloween is my domain. I ferry every soul destined for your land. I often watch your happenings, unseen." She moved her head slightly as if remembering something. "As for the Grim Reaper…he is a Halloween Citizen in the _form_ of a creature like myself, a representation of the fear of death. I should know. _I_ reaped his soul myself when he was a human by the name of Eastmær who succumbed to the Black Death in 1342 _Anno Domini_."

Sally stilled.

"And you are Sally Finkelstein…"

"Stop."

"Daughter… in loose terms…of Dr. Finkelstein."

"I said stop."

"Future Pumpkin Queen of Halloween, through marriage, and mot…"

"I said _STOP!"_ Sally snarled, maybe for the first time in her life. There was silence and she took a deep breath, the air pressure crinkling her slightly damp stuffing that was icing in the cold. "I didn't need to know any of that," she said reproachfully of the Reaper as if speaking to a child.

"Ah, so you believe I'm a Reaper," Chakis said, pleased, and not insulted by the doll's patronizing.

"Stop reading my mind," Sally requested politely, if sternly.

"Apologies," Chakis said, "Fates are fickle things. Easy to change. That doubt in your eyes. Hold it tight and question anything I say."

Sally stared at the human looking creature for a long moment, unmoving and very confused.

Eventually, Chakis said, "Light…I'm not reading your mind. Please speak."

"…What do you want?" Sally said cautiously. The ragdoll shifted on her feet. If this Lady was a Reaper should Sally fear her? She really didn't know. Would Jack or any of the others stand here listening to the woman who just…appeared? Despite what Sally had said earlier, she had an inkling of what the creature before her was. They weren't monsters, not strictly. Celestial beings? She wasn't entirely sure what the borrowed words meant, she had only heard it in passing.

"I want to help Annalise," Chakis said, patiently, "But I am unable to do so directly, tonight, so I need you."

Sally pursed her lips.

"I may withhold truths, but I will not lie about this. You are all in danger on this night," the Reaper said seriously. She had yet to move from the spot she first appeared but there was growing weight in the air about her as she spoke.

Sally couldn't help but tense, stitches tightening around her neck and chest.

"You just said not to trust you," she accused pointedly.

"If you fail," Chakis continued as if she hadn't heard the ragdoll, "some of you may meet your second deaths with Heaven. At least one of you will go to Hell. Anna will if the demons get their hands on her, needless to say. But…one _…At least one,_ faces nonexistence, neither Heaven nor Hell waiting. Simply destruction. Nothingness." The Reaper spoke so…grimly.

"Why tell me this?" Sally said quietly, though her voice tinted with panic, her mind racing. Who's second death was who's?

"Because I need you to do exactly as I say."

"It sounds less and less like I have a choice in the matter," Sally said, with a twinge of sarcasm rarely ever heard. She looked at the Reaper critically, "Yet, you already know what I will say."

"Yes."

Sally shifted, still suspicious. But what could it hurt to hear the Lady out? She needn't do it if she suspected something foul.

"What do you need?"

* * *

Lock, Shock, and Barrel waited until Zero got excited and went ahead when the welcoming sight of Halloween Town's twisted architecture appeared as they emerged from the Hinterlands. They didn't run into any of the Outlander's either during the walk so that was a plus.

When the ghost dog was still close enough to watch them warily, but far enough that he couldn't hear them, Lock nudged Shock and Barrel's elbows.

"We're really going to do what Jack said?"

Shock was quiet for a moment. "He was…right," she admitted sourly. "Demons would squash us."

"Haven't you been practicing those spells Helgamine taught you?" _Out of pity,_ he almost said, disappointed when he hesitated and missed his chance.

"Well _yeah!_ But it's not _easy,_ you doofus," Shock spat, hand flashing out to harshly yank on one of Lock's ears despite his shouts. "What about you, huh? Make some fire balls like a proper devil. I'm _sure_ that will make a couple Real World demons wet themselves."

Lock slapped her hand away and roughly hit her in the side of the head.

Her hat fell off into the mud and she stumbled as her damaged ankle turned in. She had already tried to shove the offended joint back into place, but something was actually broken.

"Hey!"

"Don't touch my ears!"

"ARf!" the strict half-growl-half-bark caught their attention as Zero circled back around when he noticed them getting rowdy.

Barrel giggled as the dog attempted to act bossy. He reached out to pet Zero behind the ears.

Zero rolled his lacking eyes and sighed, not averse to leaning into the troublemaker's touch. He twisted and gripped the ghoul's loose sleeve in his jaws and pulled toward town.

"Alright alright! We're coming!" Lock groaned.

Shock swiped her pointed hat off the ground and trudged after the boys, glaring daggers at the back of Lock's stupid head. He messed up her hat!

They made it to the town front gates quickly enough, but when Zero attempted to pass between the bars he yelped and jerked back.

"They sealed the town?" Shock said in irritation, putting a hand out to make runes and symbols etched in the stonework and metal glow.

"Well, the Mayor is a whiney scaredy-cat," Lock laughed. "He probably locked everything down and said demons were coming. _'Oh no Jack's not here to protect us! We're doooomed. Boohoohoo._ "

"Ahem."

They looked up and froze as a face glared at them through the Gatekeeper's station, leaning out to look at them through the uneven bars.

The Trick or Treaters and the Mayor stared at each other awkwardly.

The Mayor's glare hardened at their silence. "Town motto?"

Shock smirked at Lock and turned back to the Mayor as Zero barked.

They recited the familiar Latin phrase perfectly, slipping under the gates as the Mayor lifted it just enough to let them through before dropping it, almost catching Lock's tail.

"Hey!"

"Hmph. What were you three doing outside? Didn't you hear the alarm hours ago?"

"Well you see," Lock started, already spinning a bogus story where they heroically defended Jack and the others from demons. Something that lessened whatever punishment they were in for. But nothing too unbelievable. Maybe if they just claimed to distract the demons enough to…

"We followed Jack to the Real World and beat up a police officer with Anna," Barrel said bluntly, "But it's okay because he was a demon. Jack sent us home. Oh, and we licked candies and stuck them to a human's car. But that's okay too because they didn't give us Treats."

Lock's story died on his tongue and he glared at Barrel while Shock giggled.

The Mayor didn't look nearly as amused to learn the children had followed them out of Halloween as he continued to stare at them with his white face. "Where's Jack? And Miss Annalise? I assume you…" he narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't they come back with you?"

"Anna can't come through the portal," Barrel continued.

"What? Why?!"

"Where's everyone else?" Shock said.

The Mayor sent the young witch a wary look at her interruption and she relished in the fact that at least a part of him—a more experienced monster—feared her and her brothers.

"Most are in their homes," the Mayor said, "As should you be."

Shock ignored his not so subtle suggestion. "What about others?"

The Mayor frowned and gestured toward Town Hall. "Some have elected to wait up for Jack and the others."

"What about Finky?" Lock questioned.

The Mayor glared. " _Doctor Finklestein_ is one such individual."

"Cool!"

The Mayor sputtered and blinked as the children ran past him, Shock jabbing his ankle with her broom as she passed. "Ow! Wait a moment!"

"Sorry! Mission from Jack!" Lock called back with obnoxiously fake sincerity as he turned in mid-air and gave a half-hearted salute before continuing to run to Town Hall.

The Mayor cast a fretful glance at the Gatekeeper's post before groaning and going after the brats as quick as his feet could operate.

They burst from the front doors of the town meeting room, laughing gleefully as they slammed the door on the Mayor's annoyed face.

His yelling was faint through the wood.

"What have you done now?"

Shock looked toward the voice. Red eyes met hers and the pale skinned monster sneered, pausing the impatient drum of his long finger against the top of the bench where he sat.

Barrel ducked behind the other two to avoid the vampire's dry gaze.

There was poorly stifled laughing, clearly directed toward the impeded Mayor. "I was wondering where they went! They weren't in the lofts upstairs and one of the ghosts said their clubhouse was empty."

Shock sniffed primly and walked right past where she heard the disembodied (or at least invisibly embodied) voice come from. She smirked without turning around as the Mayor shoved the now unblocked door open and stumbled inside. He muttered angrily as he readjusted his hat.

Lock followed and glared at the group of monsters that watched them warily with various mixes of distain, annoyance, and flat out exhaustion. There was confusion too of course. Confusion as too why they were walking down the center aisle like they were important.

Zero zipped over everyone's heads and curled up on the stage in front of the door that led to the rest of the building. He could see everyone from there.

"Hey good news! There aren't any demons actually _in_ our world right now," Lock announced, reveling in the attention.

"By what authority do you say this?" the vampire said from his seat in the back near the door.

Why the heck was he even here?

"Mine. Because I know they're a little busy hunting Jack and Anna and Helgamine and Zeldabourne…" he trailed off his run-on sentence at the glares, "…a-and the cats to mess with us here."

"What?" one of the adults snapped, standing up calmly to face their unexpected arrival, a tall almost humanish looking creature with purple markings swirling about his grey skin. He seemed alarmed at the crudely relayed news.

Lock grinned at the power he had. He and his siblings knew something the adults didn't and he could see that they knew it. It was awesome seeing the desperation for answers tinge the more powerful monsters' faces. He glanced around, taking stock of who all was there.

It seemed most of the Town Council was there, Auger being the name of the monster who questioned Lock, plus a handful of Citizens that were simply just curious and unwilling to wait for secondhand answers. Like the invisible _jerk_ Mr. Marvel, who for the most part didn't care about the pranks they pulled but had royally screwed them up and snitched on them enough times that Lock, Shock, and Barrel had a personal crusade to get back at the man, if they could ever find him.

Lock regretted that they didn't know he would be at Town Hall that night. Wasted opportunity. The bakery was on the other side of town and the tarantula powder was at the treehouse.

Harlequin Demon was there as well, along with several others Lock figured were personally worried about Anna. Why were they bothering?

There was a whir of motors as Doctor Finklestein noticed their arrival and broke off a conversation with Harlequin.

"Lock, _where's Jack?"_ Auger growled, snapping his thin ashen fingers harshly to get their attention.

Lock glanced at Shock. "Well see, I'd tell you but we're _really_ tired from fighting demons and running around a human town so maybe…"

He bit his tongue as someone slapped him up the back of his head.

"Ow!" Lock glared at Shock, "Whath's your deal?! You'vthe been hitthing me all nighth!"

"Cause you're being an idiot," Shock hissed.

Auger frowned. "We can get you three something to eat if you'd like," he offered. The monster glanced wearily at an individual who snorted at him, the shapeshifter currently copying his own form.

He continued to stare at them meaningfully. Eventually, the shapeshifter swore and got up to go look for something.

"Thank you, Chifte," he said knowingly.

"Yeah yeah," the "other him" shot back with an annoyed sigh as they disappeared through the side door, patting Zero as they passed.

Lock smirked at Shock.

The Mayor nodded rigidly, used to the Trick or Treater's behavior. They were rarely willing to give anything without something in return. At the very least, Shock seemed to be taking the situation more seriously. "Shock, _you_ tell us what happened."

Lock sulked as Shock took over. He glared at her and shuffled Barrel to a nearby bench as Shock told the gathered group what happened, from their perspective.

There wasn't any way to get around revealing that they had snuck out of Town and followed the rescue party to the real world without permission. That got them a few expected glares, but the elders held their tongues, if they had them.

She glazed over Thanksgiving Town, partly because she wasn't sure how to describe how little she saw, and partly because it was just too weird.

Shock was surprisingly clear as she described the night, from running into Anna and getting attacked by demons all the way to Jack and Anna's mysterious talk on the roof of a church…

Finklestein interrupted with a swear, actually startling those who had been carefully listening to the witch.

The Mayor sent the Doctor a strange look. He looked overly concerned as well, but it was hard to differentiate his many levels of worry.

"Apologies," Finklestein ground out.

Shock stared, thrown off her tale a bit. "What's the big deal?" she demanded.

"I was more concerned about the _demons_ causing problems than whatever talking down Jack had with a runaway," Auger spoke up critically.

The Doctor grimaced but shook his head, "Continue, witch."

Shock sneered but continued on to the point where Jack split them up and sent them and Zero home while the others continued on to the Thanksgiving portal.

Monsters hissed and growled in confusion.

"Why?" Auger said in stern frustration. "Why not just come back through the ghoul gate?"

Shock started, realizing she left an important part out. "Anna can't come through the portal. Jack didn't have her sign the book yet."

"What?!" the Mayor shouted. That was clearly news to him.

Monsters frowned and looked at each other.

Finklestein muttered under his breath. "I _told_ him…"

"Geez. What in Halloween has Jack been doing?" Thomas Marvel's voice murmured. Though there was a thread of joking humor in his voice, he sounded truly serious…for once.

"Not his _job_ evidently," the lone vampire, Dracula, scoffed.

"I would watch your tongue, Vlad," Finklestein snapped, quick to defend Jack. Behind closed doors however? He had a few choice words for the skeleton.

"Yes," the Mayor said, mentally spiraling yet managing a glare at the vampire. "I'm…I'm _sure_ Jack has his reasons," he stressed ardently.

"Does his complete disregard for the laws regarding mentors and apprentices seem like reason?" the Count retorted.

Others in the group besides the Doctor, the Mayor, and several members of the council shifted uncomfortably at the aggressive, dare they say, almost treacherous tone.

"He's the King, _Vlad_. We're always very busy, him most of all. Surely…"

"What has that to do with all the trouble that's come up since that girl arrived? Is that really an excuse for ignoring a newcomer? It's truly bizarre behavior, what with how passionately Jack has committed to his duty since gaining the crown."

The Trick or Treater's shared a glance. They knew things were weird but didn't realize there was enough going on that some Citizens had actually noticed.

Had they been arguing for a while? It would explain why the Mayor was outside minding the gate instead of sending someone else.

They couldn't imagine Harlequin hadn't volunteered. He was always bothering Nevermore, teasingly begging to play with the gate controls, if only to annoy the bird. It was unlikely the tailor would pass up the chance to greet the Gatekeeper with a grin as the bird man found his seat at a frustratingly _slightly_ different height and all the gears and wires adjusted _just_ wrong. It would infuriate him for days.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel would do it, if Shock could figure out how to break the warding put up from the last time they tried.

The Gatekeeper could be a slob when it came to his storage of books and everything else, but if there was one thing he was obsessively consistent about, it was the little details of his, frankly, often simple job.

"Maybe he's going senile," Lock joked.

The adults grumbled at them, their interest in the Trick or Treaters lost as the children completed their mission. They began to talk amongst themselves, discussing/arguing about what to do.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Shock whispered, nudging Lock and lightly kicking Barrel's bare ankle as they edged away from the stuffy old monsters.

Lock nodded. "Hey, let's go to the witches' store."

"Why?"

"Well, since nobody's there…" Lock trailed off with an evil grin. "Not even the cats…"

"Oooh, I like it!" Shock giggled, despite knowing Helga and Zelda weren't dumb enough to leave the place unprotected. Still it would be funny to see Lock make a fool of himself. Or maybe she could find a loophole. "Barrel what do you…" She and Lock stopped and looked around for their younger cohort, surprised to look up just in time to see him yank on Finklestein's lab coat sleeve.

Finklestein stopped midsentence addressing the group and glared at the boy. "What do you want," he grumbled, a slightly clicky growl in his tone.

"Just a question," Barrel said rocking on the balls of his feet, nearly losing his balance. He looked up, making eye contact with Dracula. Maybe he could answer the question better? He had a fancy title after all. "Do we have to call Anna 'Princess' when they get home, or do we still call her Anna like how Jack makes us call him Jack even though he's the King? Or does Anna not get a title since she's like's Jack's great- _great_ \- great- greeeaaaat _\- great_ greatgreat- …"

Lock and Shock stared in horror. There goes their blackmail!

 _Of course,_ they had figured it out, Anna practically _told_ them. They weren't idiots.

Barrel frowned in confusion as the Doctor blanched, clenching his teeth in his bill-like mouth, and the Mayor's face, which had switched to orange for whatever the reason, switched back to sharp-toothed-and-terrified-white.

The Doctor's eyes shot to the Mayor as the sound of the loud clicking neck caught his attention. Everyone else only look confused at that second as what Barrel rambled hadn't quite registered. " _What?!_ Don't tell mehe told _you_ of all souls."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Mayor growled, then blinked at him, "Wait. _You_ knew too?!"

"BARREL!" Lock and Shock shouted enraged, tackling the ghoul who, apparently, was just as highly observant and oblivious in equal measure at just the _perfectly_ wrong times. He hadn't eaten in a while. That was probably it.

* * *

 **Author's note. Please read. Or skip to the end. It's a bit of an essay.**

Finally, done with the last two chapters! They were one originally. You wouldn't believe how long this took to write! Like always, feedback is highly appreciated. Please review. It boosts my self-esteem and definitely motivates me to write more frequently. On that note, sorry I've been gone so long. These chapters were _really_ hard to flesh out and I'm still worried I didn't handle it right. On top of that, I was finishing up my first year of college. Most stressed I've ever been. I had to learn _programming._ It wasn't too bad because for my final I coded a real life "point and click" game. I took an old dollhouse and wrote a program where the voice of a ghost gave a tour of their little house. It had flashing lights, sound, and a motorized coffin and piano. But I hated the script and my voice is terrible for acting. I sound like the embodiment of cringe. That part sucked. Terrible script. Regardless, I made fifty extra points on the project so that helped my grade.

I mentioned a good while ago that I was studying animation. Well, I'm not great at character drawing (yet) but I've decided to (two things) rewrite this story as an original, keeping Annalise and the essence of the story but making it not a TNBC fanfiction. I've told the story to a bunch of people, keeping all the movie references out, and people have been genuinely surprised when it turned out to be a fanfiction because of how much original story I've developed. Second, I'm going to make a comic. Haven't decided if it's going to be about the original version or this "original-original" one. Maybe both. Don't take this to mean I'm going to blaze through and rush an ending. In either case, I'm going to finish this fanfiction first before pursuing another project. Between now and then, I'm going to hone my drawing skills and work on development. I'm announcing for my own benefit really. Writing my goals down gives them more weight and commitment. Publishing more so. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry about the autobiography.

 **Important. If you didn't read the essay above, at least read this**

There are characters mentioned here that aren't from this story and are not of my creation, but I have to leave the explanation and credit the writer in an upcoming chapter. However, if you've been paying attention, you _really_ should already know who they are and where they come from. If you don't know who I'm talking about it's perfectly alright. I'm trying to write so that this story can be read standalone.


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